When Lindsey Vonn started dating Tiger Woods in early 2013, a lot of us wondered if she had no access to the Internet and never watched television. Then the two of them made their couples’ debut in a series of staged photos that looked like some kind of mutual PR move. Surely they weren’t a real couple, we thought, only they were seen on vacation together with his kids, she went to his golf tournaments, and they somehow lasted two years before splitting up in the spring of this year. So they were together, Lindsey was willing to overlook the fact that Tiger regularly cheated on his wife with literally over a dozen different sex workers, and it was a real relationship.
In a new interview with the NY Times, skier Lindsey talks about her professional goals and training for the 2018 Olympics and she sort-of admits that it was stupid to date Tiger Woods. She realizes that now. Lindsey explains that her ex husband, her former coach Thomas Vonn, was her first boyfriend and that she “didn’t have a lot of dating experience” before she started up with Tiger.
“Thomas was really my first boyfriend, so I didn’t have a lot of dating experience,” she said. “So jumping into a relationship right away after getting a divorce was probably not the smartest move on my part.
“I don’t regret anything. I loved Tiger, and I had an amazing three years with him. But it was a learning experience as well. With every relationship, you learn what you need and what you want in a partner.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend, and you need one of those to start a family,” she said. “I really want a family; I come from a big family. But I’m not going to force anything. I have a limited window to accomplish my ski-racing dreams, so I don’t want to give that up for really anything.”
Lindsey is 31, and The Times explains that a lot of the women she’s competing with in her sport, alpine skiing, are ten years younger than she is. Plus she suffered a lot of injuries in the past few years, including torn knee ligaments and knee fractures. After two knee surgeries she says she’s not retiring despite concern from her friends and family. She told them “Don’t worry, there’s going to be some new medical procedure and I’ll have new knees and it’ll be no problem.” That sounds foolish but badass. She doesn’t need the distraction of having Tiger around and she seems to have realized that now. I hope she does well in the Olympics. She’s definitely got the determination to succeed despite some obvious setbacks.
photo credit: WENN.com and Getty Images
A lack of experience in dating doesn’t mean you date a man with a reported 15 mistresses (that we know of) many of whom were likely sleeping with multiple men at the same time besides him.
That’s a man with warning signs blaring in neon red with horns and sirens over him.
I also think, and this sounds mean but is true for anyone in sports, she’s clinging because she doesn’t have much of a back-up plan. She doesn’t seem to get a ton of endorsements and she hasn’t really branched out to another arena.
You’re not wrong, though. She’s only worth 3 mill, which is obviously just a fraction of Tiger’s net worth.
I’m not sure if the relationship was driven by money–he’s a handsome guy and a talented athlete and in that respect, I can see his appeal. Yet knowing his history with women, I would still run screaming in the opposite direction.
i think she is worth much more than 3 million. she is the top of her sport and incredibly well known with lots of sponsors. any old youtuber can make 3 mill nowadays.
Wait – I don’t get it. Who’s she “clinging,” to?
I’m not a skier nor do I keep up with it, but even I know Lindsey Vonn is a legend in the sport. She’s the only downhill skier most people can name, male or female.
As for endorsements, let’s put it this way, she’s not hurting. Ski equipment and skiwear is highly lucrative just because of the market space. As with most sports and sporting goods, I wouldn’t be surprised if she sells everything from skis to boots to poles and designs ski wear on the side. It might be Nike, it might be the major ski equipment Companies – most of us wouldn’t know unless we lived in Dunham’s sporting goods or are skiers ourselves.
@Bess
She’s clinging to the sport, not to a specific person or man.
Everyone has their time for glory and achieving high accomplishments, no one can take that away from her. But there’s also a lot of burn out in the field and when injuries pile up sometimes the glory days pass. It happens with Olympians just like all others in the sport field.
Look at Michael Phelps as an example. He fits your description too but he hasn’t been on the upswing lately in terms of his field.
I just don’t get it. Here’s an intelligent, accomplished woman who is an amazingly talented athlete, has relative wealth and accolades and still knowingly enters into a relationship with a man who has proven time and time again that he is incapable of being faithful. I just don’t understand women like her….guess she thought she’d be the one to change him?
He was her double black diamond run.
genius comment
How do we know she’s intelligent? Doesn’t seem particularly intelligent to me, especially in light of her choice in men. Not sure I’d call her “amazingly talented” either. Talented, sure (she’s an Olympic gold medalist after all) but let’s be real, she doesnt get coverage for that reason; she gets coverage because she’s considered by some to be attractive and nicely built.
Some women believe more than others that they can change a man. Yeah, right. Her relationship with him put her name out there again if nothing else. Haven’t heard from him in a bit. That ambien ridden Thanksgiving four or five years ago basically destroyed him and his career.
Plus, I find Tiger not to be physically attractive at all. Surely she could do better?! Maybe she has low self-esteem?
Of course her decision seems ludicrous to us. In my experience and observation, people do really stupid stuff following a divorce. And I do think that would be exacerbated if your divorce was from your only romantic partner and COACH. Her life was turned upside down, and here comes a handsome, charming famous athlete. It’s willful blindness to the negatives but also really understandable, in my opinion. I wish her the absolute best.
I get it. She’s an athlete, he’s an athlete, they understand the discipline and training involved in being the best. Plus – Tiger may have been a douche In his marriage, but he could have changed. We don’t know if he’s gone through therapy etc. She doesn’t indicate they broke up because of cheating so maybe he isn’t the same guy.
It doesn’t seem like she regrets dating Tiger, just dating so soon after her divorce. To which, I give the biggest eye roll in the world.
@The Eternal Side-eye
She adored him. Look at the body language on those pictures of them together.
Yep. She clearly did; she fell for someone who convinced her to overlook everything negative about him.
Everyone knows someone who we wonder “how can she be with that guy?” and we don’t accuse them of using the guy.
? Nowhere did I ever imply she was using him or that she didn’t adore him. I just said inexperience in dating doesn’t really explain dating a man with a known unhealthy attachment to sex and cheating. I think you ladies have confused my comment for someone else’s.
This whole relationship — and the “breakup” reeks of fake. My guess? She wanted to raise her profile and he wanted to clean his up. Thus a mutually beneficial fake relationship.
She said he was really only her second serious relationship and she was rebounding from divorce – from her coach no less. IDK why people are so eager to call fake relationship all the time. Maybe in Hollywood but even there I think “bad idea” is usually the more likely explanation.
She sounds very gracious and not at all bitter about their relationship. It came to end of its natural life span, put it that way. Good for her.
db: She probably gets more questions about him than her sport. Must get old after awhile. The Tiger does like blondes I must say, although I don’t remember Rachel’s hair color.
We ALL make mistakes. Especially post-divorce mistakes. Been there. Done that. Good for her. She is positive, up-beat, has an open heart and learned from her mistakes. Sounds like a healthy yet fallible human being.
She was nuts to have anything to do with a man who had unprotected sex with who knows how many women. She better hope she’s not HIV Positive. Does Charlie Sheen ring a bell.