Tiger Wins PGA Award, Then Gets Dumped

It's a day of ups and downs for embattled Woods

Admitted adulterer Tiger Woods picked up professional golf's highest honor Friday, the same day another prestigious sponsor announced it'll drop the embattled PGA Player of the Year from its ad campaigns because of his tarnished media rep.

Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer publicly announced Friday it will "downscale" its use of Woods' image in advertising campaigns, adding to the pile of companies, including Accenture and Gillette, that've dropped or downgraded Woods' role in their promotions.

Major Woods sponsor AT&T said earlier this week it's evaluating its relationship with Woods but has not yet reached a decision on the role he'll play in future campaigns.

Tag Heuer will continue its professional relationship with Woods and support the golfer's charitable foundation, the Associated Press reported. The luxury Swiss watchmaker has long featured Woods as the face of its brand.

Earlier Friday, Woods was voted the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the 10th time in 13 years. It wasn't clear how many votes Woods won by, since the PGA does not release its vote totals.

The award could be his last for some time -- the golfer announced his departure from professional sport last week amid controversy about his rumored extramarital affairs and rollercoaster love life with wife Elin Nordegren.

Woods owned up to romantic "transgressions" last week on his Web site, finally addressing a nearly month-long media frenzy that saw more than a dozen women claim they'd been involved with the champion golfer. He apologized to his family, writing in his Web statement he needed time away from the golf world to reassess his role as father and husband and repair his broken family.

The Windermere, Fla., resident and father of two has not yet specified which "transgressions" he's referring to or how many other women he was with during his marriage to Nordegren.

Woods' rocky romantic life unraveled in front of the cameras after a November car crash near his Florida home, which fueled rumors he and Nordegren had been engaged in a violent fight -- stemming from allegations of an affair.

He has yet to speak publicly about the incidents.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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