Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Tiger Woods’ Girlfriend Erica Herman

Born at the tail end of 1975 in Cyprus, California, Woods developed a talent for golf at a young age and went on to enjoy unprecedented success as a junior and college student. After leaving the amateur ranks aged 20, in 1997 he won his inaugural major – the Masters – by a record-breaking 12 strokes. The sportsman would then reach number one in the world within 12 months of turning pro!

What’s more, Woods proved that his astonishing early success was no fluke by continuing to dominate the sport throughout the next decade. He left the U.S. Open field trailing in his wake in 2000 after winning the trophy by a record-breaking 15 shots. And perhaps most impressively of all, Woods held the top spot in the world rankings for an incredible 264 weeks. Then, after briefly relinquishing the position, he returned there for further 281.

As of March 2021, Woods has been named PGA Player of the Year on 11 separate occasions, and he’s emerged victorious at 15 majors and 82 PGA Tour Events. The golfer’s also the youngest professional to have won 50 on-tour tournaments and the career Grand Slam. As a result, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest sportsmen of the 21st century.

Of course, the once-wholesome Tiger Woods story took an unexpected turn in 2009 when news emerged of his many alleged extramarital affairs. On the surface, the star appeared to have been in a happy, loving marriage with Elin Nordegren – the Swedish ex-model he’d wed in 2004. But the couple – who share two children – split following the revelations.

A nightclub manager from New York called Rachel Uchitel was the first to be named as one of Woods’ many love interests. And over a dozen other women later came forward to claim that they’d also had affairs with the married star. Woods apologized for his bad behavior in several official statements. He subsequently revealed that he’d be taking a hiatus from the sport that launched him to fame.

Several companies had entered into lucrative sponsorships with the star. But thanks to Woods’ off-course antics, the firms ended those deals. Accenture, General Motors and TAG Heuer were just a few of the household names that hurried to distance themselves from the disgraced golfer. And according to one study by professors at the University of California, Davis, Woods’ infidelity cost shareholders in the various companies linked to him up to a whopping $12 billion.

Woods later dropped to an all-time low of 58 in the 2011 World Rankings. Though he eventually managed to get his career back on track – returning to the top spot just two years later. But this time a run of back injuries derailed things, and by June 2016 he’d disappeared from the Top 500 completely. Then things got even worse.

In May 2017 Woods was arrested on a DUI after having nodded off in his vehicle while its engine was still running. The star claimed that he’d underestimated the effects of a prescription drug he was taking at the time. The sports star subsequently received a year’s probation after submitting a plea of guilty to reckless driving later that year.

Then in September 2018 Woods moved from the front to the back pages once again after winning the Atlanta Tour Championship at the age of 42. It was the golfer’s first title in five years, with his two-stroke victory at East Lake also serving to propel him back up the rankings. And many believed that recent developments in the golfer’s love life were responsible for his return to winning ways.

That love interest was Erica Herman, in whose ear Woods was seen to whisper “I love you” after his tournament drought came to an end. The pair had reportedly first met in 2017 at the golfer’s Florida eatery – The Woods Jupiter – where Herman was working as general manager. And they went public in October that year when the latter sported a “player spouse” badge at the President’s Cup.

Two days later Herman accompanied Woods to his reckless driving court case in Florida’s Palm Beach Gardens. Then two months after that the couple vacationed in the Bahamas with the golfer’s two children. In July 2018 the pair went public again while watching a tennis match at Wimbledon in the Royal Box.

The couple were later spotted together in St. Louis at the PGA Championship in August 2018. As you would expect, Herman caused quite the stir on social media after kissing the golfer and patting his rear while live on camera. Many viewers subsequently took to Twitter to express their surprise at such a public display of affection.

In April 2018 one of Woods’ close friends allegedly told People that the relationship between the two lovebirds was going very well. The unnamed source said, “No one has signed any paperwork. It’s not like they’re pledging their lives to each other. But she’s really nice, and [Woods] likes her.”

Another person told the very same magazine that Herman had played a pivotal role in Woods’ sporting comeback. Speaking after his win at the Atlanta Tour Championship, the anonymous source said, “For a long time, there was a cloud over [Woods]. But today, he’s happier than he’s been in years.”

But not everyone was pleased with this budding romance. An insider apparently told Radar Online that Herman is a gold-digging party animal who’d been “chasing [Woods] around like a puppy for close to ten years.” The unnamed source added, “I can’t believe [he] is out in public with her now.”

Reports also surfaced which claimed that Woods had started dating Herman when already attached to Kristin Smith. The pair made their official debut just a month after the golfer had parted from the Texan stylist. An insider is said to have told Radar Online, “[Smith] suspected it, but he would always deny it by belittling [Herman].”

Before his relationship with Smith, Woods had dated Lindsey Vonn – a skier with multiple Olympic medals to her name. The two sporting champions had first stepped out together in 2012 in the wake of Woods’ divorce from his wife. But he and Vonn went their separate ways three years later.

Following his headline-making victory in Atlanta, Woods headed to Europe with his belle Herman firmly in tow. The couple appeared in front of cameras wearing matching suits at Charles de Gaulle Airport after flying to Paris together. Woods, you see, was in the French capital to compete in the annual Ryder Cup.

Almost a year on from their public debut, the couple then attended the Ryder Cup Gala together. But sadly for Team USA, Herman couldn’t quite inspire her partner to victory this time around. The golfer himself even admitted that he was partly responsible for his team’s seven-stroke defeat to Europe.

But Herman did prove to be a lucky charm when she attended the Masters at Augusta six months later. Woods emerged victorious to pick up his first major in 11 years. The golfer’s two kids Sam and Charlie were also in attendance to help their dad celebrate his remarkable triumph on the green.

As you may expect, it was the couple’s very public display of affection that made the headlines. Nearly 11 million viewers saw Woods and Herman locked in a passionate embrace as the golfer won the fifth Masters of his glittering career. And according to one of the sportsman’s pals, Herman played a vital part in Woods’ comeback.

Arjun Atwal told the website Page Six that Herman had been the number one support system while Woods was recovering from back surgery he’d had in 2017. The professional golfer explained, “She’s been 100 percent supportive, when he was down with his health and all that stuff… It’s not like he has a bunch of people around. She was right there for him.”

Woods proved once and for all how much Herman means to him when he took her to the White House shortly after his Masters victory. The golfer had been invited to meet Donald Trump at the historical building to receive the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom. On Twitter the 45th revealed that he was giving Woods the honor “because of his incredible success and comeback in sports (golf) and, more importantly, life...”

Later that same year Woods also took Herman to Melbourne’s Presidents Cup Golf Gala where he captained Team USA. And they took the opportunity to engage in some more PDA, too. As well as holding her boyfriend’s hand, Herman also pulled in him for a kiss on the red carpet.

Herman’s romantic gesture also appeared to quash rumors that had dogged the pair. She had got tongues wagging with her apparent absences at several of Woods’ golfing commitments. But the former restaurant manager explained to Radar Online that there was a perfectly valid explanation for this. Herman told the showbiz website that she’d attended every tournament her boyfriend had played at but had kept a low profile as she’s not comfortable with being the center of attention.

Herman also went on to confirm that she and Woods were still very much going strong. The former added, “Our relationship is great. Great with no end in sight.” Interestingly, her brief chat with Radar Online is the first and only time that either party has spoken publicly about their love for each other.

According to Atwal, Herman has also been accepted by Woods’ two kids. The golfer has regularly taken son Charlie and daughter Sam on holiday with his girlfriend. And apparently it’s all happy families on these occasions. Atwal said, “[Herman’s] awesome with them. She’s more like a friend to them than anything else.”

The four were certainly all smiles in the picture that Woods posted in April 2020. Yes, he shared a rare snap of himself, Herman and his two kids enjoying an alternative Champion’s Dinner at home. In normal times, he’d have been hosting a much more formal version for all of his fellow golfing professionals as the Augusta National reigning champion.

Woods and Herman now live together in the lavish mansion that the golfer built in the wake of his split from Nordegren. Situated in the exclusive Florida community of Jupiter Island, the property covers an incredible 10,000 square feet, according to SunSport. And it boasts everything from a 100-foot swimming pool and private cinema to outdoor tennis court and even a room for oxygen therapy!

You might not be surprised to learn that the estate has its own golf course, too. Woods revealed on his website that it was designed “so I can hit shots out of my second-storey studio.” The couple’s luxurious pad is also just around the corner from the restaurant that the sportsman owns and where Herman once worked.

Atwal also told Page Six that Herman even has a good relationship with Woods’ ex-wife Nordegren. Evidence of this came in late 2020 when the golfer’s past and present loves watched him compete in the PNC Championship. Woods’ son Charlie joined him on the green at the Florida exhibition, which invites some of the sport’s greats to play with family members.

Herman’s return to the spotlight at the PNC Championship didn’t have an entirely happy ending, though. Woods was forced to undergo more surgery on his back after pinching a nerve during his father-son bonding experience. And it wasn’t long before the golfer was back in hospital, either. Only this time, it was for something far more serious.

In February 2021 Woods was forced to undergo emergency surgery following a serious car crash in California. Paramedics had to use a hydraulic tool known as the “jaws of life” to free the sportsman from his SUV that had flipped over during an early morning drive. Woods suffered two broken legs and a shattered ankle in an accident which very nearly proved to be fatal.

Herman was later pictured visiting her boyfriend at Los Angeles’ Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The Florida native was joined by a man reported to be Joe LaCava – a longtime caddy of Woods – during the midday trip. And the brown bag Herman had with her suggests she was making sure that the golfer didn’t have to eat hospital food.

Us Weekly magazine reported that Herman had been a constant source of strength for the injured Woods since his crash. An anonymous source allegedly said, “[She] dropped everything to be with [Woods] the moment she heard what happened. [Herman has] been by his bedside, holding his hand and telling him everything’s going to be okay. He’s a champ and he’s got this.”

The person went on to add, “[Herman has] been so compassionate and supportive – all his friends and family have. He couldn’t have asked for more in that regard.” And Woods – who was subsequently moved to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center – later expressed his gratitude on Twitter for all the support he’d received.

Woods tweeted, “It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts.” The sportsman was referring to the WGC-Workday Championship in which several golfers replicated his iconic black pants and red polo shirt look. He concluded, “To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time.”

Sadly, it seems as though it will be a while before we see Woods back on the green and Herman cheering him on. In an interview with the website Golf Today, NBC’s medical expert Dr. John Torres stated that the road to recovery will be a long one. He said, “There are a bunch of different injuries here and [they] are all serious by themselves – but combined even much more.”

Torres continued, “The hope going forward is that, number one, he can walk again, that he can walk his daughter down the aisle when she gets married. That he can do those things he wants to do to play with his family and his kids. And hopefully, the best-case scenario is that he gets back to the level of golf that he’s used to.”