As Tiger Woods was chauffeured away from a Florida jail on Friday night, the golf world was left reeling at scenes all too reminiscent of past scandal.
Hours earlier, Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusing to provide a urine sample to police after a two-car rollover crash near his home in Jupiter, Florida.
While Woods appeared to be unharmed as he left the Martin County Jail, the same old questions about the golf legend’s immediate future began to echo once again.
It was eerily reminiscent of the panic and concern of five years ago, when Woods faced a similar car crash in California, which shattered his right leg after he was trapped under the vehicle.
Then, Woods leaned on his closest confidants as he endured multiple surgeries and a long road back to recovery. And now, just like then, he will be forced to do the same.
One man who will no doubt be called to Woods’ aid once again is Rob McNamara, who has been a fixture by the 15-time major winner’s side since his amateur days in southern California.
Tiger Woods is driven away from Martin County Jail after being bonded out on Friday night
Woods stares down the lens in his police mugshot after being arrested for DUI on Friday
Woods stands alongside his Range Rover SUV after clambering out of the passenger side
Now an executive vice president at TGR, Woods’ golf-course design firm, McNamara is the son of an Irish father and a 1997 graduate of Santa Clara, where he played on the golf team.
He later had a stint at a start-up golf website, which went bust, but later got a job at IMG, which represented golfers like Arnold Palmer, Annika Sorenstam and Woods, whom McNamara already knew from his days as an amateur golfer in California.
At first, McNamara’s job was to protect Woods’ rights, according to a 2023 Golfweek article, but he soon made himself irreplaceable in the golfer’s life. So when Woods launched his own course design firm, TGR, he took McNamara with him.
But McNamara is more than just a long-time business partner. He also serves as a second set of eyes for his long-time friend, who has been without a coach for nearly a decade.
‘I mean, he knows my game,’ Woods told Golf TV in 2019. ‘One, he’s a good player. Two, he’s got a good eye and he has seen me go through changes and iterations in the game of golf, but at the end of the day I try and use Rob for what I’m trying to work on now, because right now it’s different.’
At the time, Woods was recovering from a back surgery to alleviate pain in his back and leg.
‘I’m limited what I can do,’ Woods continued, ‘and not only am I limited in what I can do, I’m limited in how much I can practice.’
It’s something that McNamara intuitively understood, perhaps, better than any coach could.
Rob McNamara has been a fixture by the 15-time major winner’s side since his amateur days
McNamara was seen hugging the victorious golfer on the 18th green in Augusta in 2019
‘Because I’ve played with him so much and practiced with him so much over the years I kind of know what it should look like or what typically he’s trying to do,’ McNamara said. ‘And a lot of it this last year is Tiger is typically telling me, ‘Hey, I’m feeling this. Will you just watch and make sure I’m not doing this or I am doing this?’
‘Then all I’m doing is kind of quickly confirming it for him, yes, and then kind of backing away.’
In 2019, when Woods turned the clock back to win the Masters after years of injury woes, it was McNamara who was seen hugging the victorious golfer on the 18th green in Augusta.
Also pictured in the iconic scene on the edge of the 18th green at Augusta National, were Woods’s dearest loved ones; his mom and his children.
Woods’ mother, Kultida, had been a ‘rock’ in her son’s life, standing by him through scandal and, of course, his previous 2021 accident.
He was extremely close to his mom, who saw him emerge to win the Masters as a 21-year-old in 1997, conquer the game in an era of relentless dominance before standing by him during his downfall from 2009’s sex scandal that cost him his first marriage and millions in endorsement deals.
However, Woods sadly lost ‘Tida’ at the age of 80 in early 2025. He described her as his ‘biggest fan and greatest supporter’ in a heartbreaking statement at the time.
‘It’s been a tough process to go through,’ Woods said in his first interview since her death in February 2025. ‘But I’ve had amazing family support, all the players have reached out that were playing here this week.’
Woods is pictured with his two children, daughter Sam, 18, and son Charlie, 17
Woods lost his ‘rock,’ mother Kultida, in early 2025 at the age of 80. Pictured in 2008
That ‘amazing’ family includes his two children – daughter Sam, 18, and son, Charlie, 17 – whom he shares with his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren.
Woods first met Swedish model Nordegren in 2001, before proposing two years later. The couple then made it official at a lavish wedding in 2004.
Nordegren divorced Tiger in 2010 after six years of marriage when she discovered the golfing great was allegedly cheating on her during Thanksgiving week with a woman named Rachel Uchitel.
Yet, despite the ugly split, the former couple appear to have repaired their relationship for the sake of their children. Woods and Nordegren are frequently pictured alongside each other as they support their children in their various endeavors.
Most recently, they were pictured together to celebrate Charlie’s latest golfing achievement.
Charlie, who recently committed to Florida State University, and his Benjamin School boys golf teammates were honored in a ceremony to celebrate their latest state championship.
‘Having the relationship that I have now with her is fantastic,’ Woods told Time in 2015. ‘We both know that the most important things in our lives are our kids. I wish I would have known that back then.’
Woods is now in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, whose eldest daughter Kai is also a student at the Benjamin School and a promising golfer.
Woods was married to Swedish model Elin Nordegren from 2004 to 2010 and had two kids
The golf star is now in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr
Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, has been by his side since the early years of his career
Woods has been dating Vanessa for over a year – their relationship was first reported by the Daily Mail in March 2025 after they started seeing each other around Thanksgiving 2024.
Vanessa, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., has been supporting her beau at several golfing events. Most recently, the couple were captured putting on a loved-up public display of affection at the finals of TGL on Tuesday.
The finals, which saw Woods’ Jupiter Links fall short to Los Angeles Golf Club, marked the beginning of his comeback fueling anticipation that he could be making a return to The Masters. A return that, following the events of Friday night, now seems a million miles away once again.
But it would not be the first comeback Woods has battled through, and again he would have the support of one of his most trusted advisors.
His agent, Mark Steinberg, has been by his side since the early years of his career. The golfing icon retained Steinberg as his agent in 1998 after he fired Hughes Norton, who described Woods as ‘zombie-like.’
When Steinberg made the move from IMG to Excel Sports Management, where he is a partner and heads the golf division, Woods followed suit.
The agent has been by Woods’ side ever since, saying of their relationship in 2016: ‘We are unwavering in our commitment to each other.’
Steinberg, attended the University of Illinois and made the basketball team as a walk-on, boasts a client list that also features the likes of Woods’ close on-course friend, Justin Thomas.
Notah Begay III (right) has been friends with Woods since their junior golf days
Fellow professional Justin Thomas has become a close friend to the Woods family
Five-time major winner Rory McIlroy is a friend and business partner of the legend
Thomas is among the golfers closest to Woods on the PGA Tour, alongside Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy is not only a friend to Woods but also a business partner. The pair teamed up to launch their TMRW Sports venture, which created TGL, their tech-infused, indoor golf league.
While McIlroy and Thomas only entered Woods’ circle as young whippersnappers well into the midst of his decorated career, there is one player who has played alongside the legend since the beginning of his career.
Notah Begay III has been friends with Woods since their junior golf days, meeting when Begay was nine and Woods even younger.
They solidified their friendship as teammates at Stanford, before both making it to the PGA Tour.
‘Looking back on it that wasn’t something that we focused on but we were probably two of the only minorities playing at that level so that was something we connected with as well,’ Begay said of their junior days in a 2022 interview.
‘It’s really truly been one of the most significant friendships in my life.’
Begay has been a steadfast supporter of Woods throughout his turbulent public life, even going as far as to act as a mouthpiece for his friend, feeding information about his various recoveries to the public.
Now, it appears Woods’ oldest friend will be called upon once again.
