Tiger Woods was back at the White House on Thursday in one of the first public sightings of the golfing great since he went public with his romance with Donald Trump‘s former daughter-in-law Vanessa.
It also marks one of the first times Woods, 49, has been seen since he tore his Achilles in another major injury that places his golfing career in major doubt.
Senator Jim Banks shared a picture of a suited Woods on X on Thursday night, writing: ‘Met Tiger Woods at the White House today!’
It’s unclear precisely what Woods, a 15-time Major champion, was doing in DC. The picture Banks shared doesn’t show if Woods was still wearing a protective boot as part of his Achilles recovery, as is fairly common for the stage of recovery he is at.
Woods is close to the President – they played a round of golf together in February, days after Woods’ mother Kultida had died. It was also the same day Trump made history by becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl when he then flew to New Orleans for football’s showpiece game.
Woods and Trump have played key roles in negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed breakway LIV Golf, looking to strike a deal to merge the two circuits and reunite golf’s greats once again.
Tiger Woods posed for a picture with Senator Jim Banks on a White House visit on Thursday
But Trump was busy Thursday announcing a new trade deal with the United Kingdom and while very briefly he told reporters that Woods had visited, he didn’t show his hand beyond that.
And of course, the latest Woods sighting comes amid significant news in his love life amid his relationship with Vanessa Trump – news which Daily Mail exclusively broke in March.
Woods, 49, and Trump, 47, initially went to great lengths to keep their romance under wraps by avoiding public places and not talking about each other with their friends.
The couple, who started dating around Thanksgiving, got their children’s blessings before moving into something serious.
Vanessa has five children with ex-husband, Donald Trump Jr., whom she married in 2005. The couple divorced in 2018.
Woods shares two children with ex-wife Elin Nordegren, to whom he was married from 2004 to 2010. They split after dozens of women alleged they had slept with the golfer, leading to a high profile and devastating sex scandal.
The couple have Trump’s blessing. He told reporters from the Oval Office in late March: ‘I love Tiger and I love Vanessa. He and I have a very special, very good relationship.
‘He told me about it, and I said, “Tiger, that’s good, that’s good.” I’m very happy for both. Just let them both be happy. Let them both be happy. They’re both great.’
Days before his romance with Vanessa became public news, Woods stunned the sporting world with news of another significant health setback.
‘As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,’ Woods said in a bombshell March 11 statement.
‘This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon.
‘I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.’
Dr Stucken said: ‘The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery.’
Woods has not played at Tour-level since The Open last summer, with back surgery accounting for much of his lay-off before he withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in February following the death of his mother.
Woods had kept a low profile after those whirlwind few days in March, in part due to his desire for privacy with Vanessa but also due to his Achilles recovery.
He congratulated Rory McIlroy in April for his Masters win, as the Northern Irishman followed him by becoming only the sixth player in the history of golf to win the Grand Slam.
‘Welcome to the club, Rory McIlroy,’ Woods wrote. ‘Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special.
‘Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re a part of history. Proud of you!’
