This Is Tiger Woods' Ex-Girlfriend, Erica Herman
Many were surprised when it was announced that Tiger Woods and Erica Herman had ended their relationship. The reports were quickly followed with an even more surprising update: Herman has sued the trust that owns the home she and Woods shared for most of their relationship. According to Forbes, Herman alleged in her October 2022 filing that the estate fooled her into moving out and claims she was told she was going on a "short vacation," but then was told at the airport that she had been locked out of the house. In March 2023, Herman also sued to have the NDA she signed at the beginning of their relationship nullified.
There has been a lot of interest in Herman, who previously flew under the radar for many. Some, such as author Martin Davis, have praised Herman's presence in Woods' life. As he told Page Six in 2019, Herman was doing a lot of good for the star. "Lately, Tiger has been very, very calm and measured and it allows him to focus. It's like he has a very clear mind now. There [doesn't seem to be] a lot of demons running around in his mind."
Unfortunately, it seems that things between Herman and Woods have come to an end. Here is what we know about Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend Erica Herman.
Erica Herman grew up in south Florida
Erica Herman grew up in south Florida, where she and Tiger Woods lived until their breakup. She grew up in a neighborhood in Boynton Beach and attended Santaluces High School, where she was a cheerleader. She went on to go to school at Palm Beach State College and the University of Central Florida.
Herman's time in Florida came under fire when a wrongful-death lawsuit was brought against Woods' restaurant, The Woods Jupiter, in May 2019. Woods and Herman were named in the suit. Employee Nicholas Immesberger was killed in a car crash in December 2018 after working his shift as bartender at the establishment. The parents of Immesberger alleged that he was served excessive alcohol after his shift, despite staff knowing about his history of alcoholism.
Both Herman and Woods were eventually dropped from the lawsuit. Attorney Barry Postman told Golf Digest, "It has been clear from the beginning that neither should have been included in the suit despite the claims that they somehow contributed to the accident." According to The Palm Beach Post, the case was later dismissed.
Erica Herman worked in the restaurant industry
Erica Herman and Tiger Woods reportedly first met when she was an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Herman studied political science and hoped to become a lawyer, and she began working in the restaurant industry to get through school. A former co-worker named Gianni Nailor told Page Six, "She worked at Blue Martini in Orlando as a bartender to get through college. And he came to the bar [as a customer]." When Woods opened a restaurant called The Woods Jupiter in 2015, he hired Herman, a move that made some uncomfortable.
Nailor, who worked at The Woods Jupiter with Herman, told Page Six, "People were scared to get too close to her [because of her access to the owner]. They kept it professional."
Luke Copeland, who worked alongside Herman during the same time period, told Page Six that while Herman was "very direct" she wasn't looking to fight with anyone. If anything, she was known for keeping the interests of the group in mind. He said, "She decorated during the Christmas season — and she's Jewish."
Erica Herman was Tiger Woods' main support system after he was injured
In April 2017, Tiger Woods underwent a major back surgery that still has people talking to this day. The spinal fusion surgery was one for the record books, and the procedure became necessary after Woods injured his back to the point of being in intense pain nearly every day. In a video from Centinel Spine, Woods explained, "When I swung a golf club, it felt like I was playing the game bloody knuckles. ... The uncomfortableness of when you hit your funny bone, how much that hurts ... now do that a thousand times per day, and see what that feels like."
When it came time for Woods to heal from the procedure, many have said that no one was more supportive than Erica Herman. In fact, Woods' friend and fellow golfer Arjun Atwal told Page Six that Herman was one of the only people who was really focused on making sure that Woods healed. Atwal also said that Herman was "100% supportive" and that Woods didn't have a lot of people he could lean on.
That wasn't the only health-related scare that Woods suffered — or that Herman helped him through. In February 2021, Woods was involved in a single-vehicle crash that resulted in surgeries and physical therapy that was described as "excruciating," and Herman was yet again by his side (via OK Magazine).
Some believe Erica Herman pursued Tiger Woods for a decade
Erica Herman and Tiger Woods were in a relationship for five years before they broke up, but some who know the couple have insisted that Herman pursued Woods for much longer than that. While Herman and Woods enjoyed a close professional relationship for a number of years, it seems that for Herman the relationship might have felt like more.
Despite Woods being in a number of high-profile romances in the years that he and Herman were colleagues, including with Olympian Lindsey Vonn and stylist Kristin Smith, a source close to both Woods and Herman told The Sun that Herman has been "chasing Tiger around like a puppy for close to 10 years."
Sources have also indicated that even if their relationship was strictly professional at the time, Herman and Woods often had private meetings when the golfer was in town to check on his restaurant. As Luke Copeland, who worked at The Woods Jupiter, told Page Six of Woods' private suite, "It was separate from the main dining room, with its own frontal access to the building. She did definitely mention that [she and Woods] had some history."
Erica Herman was reportedly in significant debt
One fact of Erica Herman's life that has been covered fairly significantly is her past debt problems. In September 2018, The Daily Mail noted that while Tiger Woods had pulled in a reported $1.62 million following his comeback in golf — a feat that Herman has been credited with assisting Woods with — Herman has been stuck with a debt of $240,000 for years.
According to The Daily Mail, Herman's money troubles go back to a failed business venture. Herman, Jesse Newton, and Ricky McIntosh received a $200,000 investment from Tom Morris to open five nightclubs in Orlando, Florida. The trio opened two clubs that failed and then ran out of money, which prompted Morris to sue. He was awarded a judgment of $240,233.08, which Herman neglected to pay until she began working at The Woods Jupiter. From that point, Herman's wages were garnished to the tune of nearly $300 a week.
Herman has had additional financial troubles in her history, according to The Daily Mail. In 2012, a $13,000 BMW she owned was repossessed by the bank, and between 2012 and 2014 Herman and Newton were given several eviction notices from their landlord.
Erica Herman had a great relationship with Tiger Woods' kids
If there are two people who might miss out the most in the wake of the end of the relationship between Tiger Woods and Erica Herman, it's Tiger Woods' two children, whom he shares with ex-wife Elin Nordegren. Woods' friend and fellow golfer Arjun Atwal told Page Six that Herman was close with Sam and Charlie and that the kids felt really great about their dad's girlfriend, too. As Atwal put it, "They love [Erica]. She's awesome with them. She's more like a friend to them than anything else." Atwal also added that far from being enemies or wary of one another, Herman and Nordegren had a good relationship, too.
In April 2020, Woods even shared a photo of himself, Herman, and the two children, something that the typically private golfer isn't prone to do. The four are accompanied by their two dogs and smiling in the snapshot that Woods posted to Instagram alongside the caption, "Masters Champions Dinner quarantine style. Nothing better than being with family."