What Was the Tiger Woods Divorce Settlement with Elin Nordegren?

What was in the Tiger Woods divorce settlement? Who got what? How much money did Elin Nordegren receive? Who got the kids, the house, the dogs?

Joint Custody of the Kids

The only detail known with certainty about the Tiger Woods divorce settlement is that Tiger and Elin agreed to share custody of their two children. That detail was included in the divorce judgment entered in Bay County Circuit Court in Panama City, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2010.

Nordegren was represented during the proceedings by the law firm of McGuireWoods LLP (in whose London office her twin sister Josefin worked); Woods was represented by Sasser, Cestero and Sasser P.A.

That judgment acknowledged that Woods and Nordegren had finalized on July 3, 2010, a "marriage settlement agreement." Presumably, that agreement is the one that spelled out the specifics of how the couple's belongings and money were divided. However, that settlement has never become public.

And, therefore, everything else you hear about the Tiger Woods divorce settlement is speculation. Perhaps some of that speculation is spot-on; surely, much of it is baseless.

The Woods-Nordegren Statement on the Divorce

At the time news of the finalizing of the divorce agreement became public, Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, through their lawyers, issued this statement:

"We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future. While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us. Once we came to the decision that our marriage was at an end, the primary focus of our amicable discussions has been to ensure their future well-being. The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern."

Details on the Financial Settlement

There were many breathless reports in the months leading up to the divorce that Nordegren would receive from half a billion dollars to $750 million. Those reports were absurd, and while we don't know for sure the total amount of money Nordegren received as part of the Tiger Woods divorce settlement, we can say with certainty it was much, much less than that.

So how much did Elin get? The most reliable reports indicate that Nordegren received in the neighborhood of $100 million, $110 million, plus monthly child support that reportedly is in the neighborhood of $20,000. Remember: These reports are speculative based on "insiders" and "family friends" and "sources" whose identities are never revealed. But those figures appear to be generally accepted as in the ballpark.

Based on their post-divorce living arrangements, one thing we can say with a bit more confidence is that Nordegren kept their home in Windermere, Fla. (she later sold it and bought a new house in Florida), while Woods kept the Jupiter Island property and home they bought and started renovating in 2007.

We do know, because details of the arrangement were revealed, that Woods used a second mortgage on that Jupiter Island home as a means of paying Nordegren more than $50 million. Woods took out a $54.5 million mortgage on the property in 2010 and named Nordegren as the issuer of the mortgage. That means that Woods made his monthly mortgage payments to Nordegren. Those payments began in 2010 and ended in January 2016. USA Today did the math and that payment schedule means Woods was sending Nordegren a monthly check of around $860,000.

Was Elin Required to Stay Silent About the Divorce?

Early reports, prior to the announcement of the divorce, indicated that part of the Tiger Woods divorce settlement was Elin's silence—a gag order. But shortly after the finalized divorce was announced, Elin gave an interview to People magazine. She said it would be her only interview, but she did talk, belying any agreement to keep quiet.

What Led to the Woods-Nordegren Divorce?

Bad behavior by Woods, that's what. Very bad behavior.

Tiger and Elin married on Oct. 5, 2004. Their children were born in 2007 (Alexis) and 2009 (Charlie).

But in late November 2009, Woods crashed his SUV into a neighbor's tree in the wee hours of the night. The next day, the gossip rag National Enquirer published allegations of an affair by Woods. In the aftermath of the car accident, those affair rumors quickly went mainstream—and quickly, more women came forward to claim affairs with Woods, or were brought forward by other publications digging for dirt.

Apparently, there was plenty of dirt to find on Woods. On Dec. 2, 2009, Woods posted on his Web site an acknowledgment of "transgressions" and "personal sins" and apologized.

In December 2009, into February 2010, Woods spent time at a rehabilitation facility in Mississippi. Although it was never publicly stated by Woods that the counseling he was receiving was for sexual addition, that was the background the rehab facility's founder, and that was everybody's assumption.

Woods and Nordegren were also believed to be seeing a marriage counselor in Arizona at points in 2010.

Given Woods' infidelities and the embarrassment he brought to the family, the marriage wasn't salvageable. And on Aug. 23, 2010, the Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods divorce became official.