Woods, 48, had long been rumored to have been unfaithful to Elin Nordegren when they were married before the infamous Thanksgiving weekend in 2009.
It was speculated that Woods had been with his alleged mistress Mindy Lawton, with photos apparently showing the pair together, although they were never published.
That was because the National Enquirer agreed not to put them into the public sphere, following a negotiation with Woods’ camp that he would feature on the cover of Men’s Fitness as part of a 12-page feature with the magazine.
And according to CEO David Pecker, testifying in the New York vs Trump trial, the speculated photos of Woods were real.
Pecker, who was the chief of the company that owned Men’s Fitness at the time, claims he purchased the photos of Woods and Lawton in the parking lot of a church.
The 72-year-old later used them as blackmail to get Woods to discuss his diet, workout routine and marriage. However, they were only of use for a limited time because his affair with another woman, Rachel Uchitel, became public in 2009.
The American, widely recognized as the greatest golfer of all-time, has had a string of controversial relationships since his divorce from Nordegren, which cost him him an estimated $100million.
Woods has been in and out of relationships since then, including with Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn. The pair dated for three years before Vonn called quits on their relationship.
His most recent relationship with Erica Herman ended on a sour note when he was accused by her of sexual harassment. She later dropped the case after admitting she wasn’t sexually abused by Woods.
The 15-time Major winner, who has one two children with Nordegren, 16-year-old daughter Sam and son, Charlie, 15 – is now thought to be single.