It's shaping up to be a great season for Tiger Woods on and off the green. On March 18, both Woods and Lindsey Vonn, an Olympic gold-medal-winning skier, confirmed their relationship via their respective official Facebook pages. Woods posted a series of professional photos, writing, "Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating." Vonn explained to fans, "I guess it wasn't a well-kept secret but yes, I am dating Tiger Woods."

Let's be real: this marks the first positive headline for the 37-year-old golfer in a while. Toward the tail end of 2009, Woods' life seemed to unravel faster than he could hit a hole-in-one. It began with a gossipy story in the National Enquirer about an alleged affair with an NYC nightclub manager which, to be honest, seemed like just another run-of-the-mill fabricated story. Until things started getting fishy-and FAST.

Two days later, Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree at 2:30 in the morning while he was still on his own block. His questionable behavior skyrocketed when, days later, Us Weekly published a voicemail message reportedly left by the sports legend for a mistress. And then, in what seemed too unbelievable to be true, over a dozen women came forward in the next few days, admitting to having affairs with Woods.

The public couldn't believe it-Woods was a young, athletic guy married to a gorgeous former model with two utterly adorable children. But, in mid-December, the pro announced he'd be taking an indefinite break from professional golf and it seemed that the ridiculous rumors might have some truth behind them.
Sure enough, as we all know, Woods was, uh, sleeping around to put it gently. He went to rehab for sex addiction; lost huge sponsorship deals with companies like AT&T, TAG Heuer and Gatorade; and his wife filed for divorce. He gave a televised statement in early 2010 admitting to his indiscretions: "I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt I was entitled." At the end of his heartfelt speech, Woods asked fans to "find room in your heart to one day believe in me again," but it seemed like his career would be a nearly impossible endeavor to rehabilitate.

And now, with 28-year-old Vonn on his arm, it seems that Woods may be on the road to a successful comeback. Professionally, he's currently ranked number one after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And personally, he's been courting Vonn for months. The two are carefully calculating every step of their courtship, including the deliberate plan to announce their pairing: "It's very simple," Woods explained to reporters. "We're very happy where we're at, but also we wanted to limit the 'stalkerazzi' and all those sleazy websites that are out there following us." So the duo released the information-and the pics!-on their own terms in hopes of stealing the thunder from gossip mags and television outlets. So, are you a Woods skeptic? Or will love between athletes conquer all?
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