Tiger Woods ‘friend-zoned’ Vanessa Trump before dating

It appears that Tiger Woods was not all-in on Vanessa Trump at first.

Woods was allegedly “hesitant” to take his relationship with Trump — Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-wife — to the next level, Page Six first reported.

“He was hesitant at first because he’s got a good relationship with [President Donald] Trump, and wasn’t sure if this would cause any problems,” an insider within Woods’ inner circle told Page Six.

Woods met with President Trump on multiple occasions in February, once to play a round of golf with the President at Trump International Gold Club, and again to discuss the PGA Tour-LIV merger talks along with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott.

The news broke regarding the relationship between Woods, 49, and Trump, 47, on Thursday, with the Daily Mail reporting that the couple first started dating around Thanksgiving 2024.

Their relationship, however, did not come about without Woods initially “friend-zoning” Trump.

“He friend-zoned her; they just talked about the kids and kept things pretty platonic and casual. Then, sure enough, feelings started developing on both sides,” the insider added.

A source also told Page Six that the pair’s relationship is currently “not too serious,” but alluded to them “heading in that direction” in the future.

“They have a lot in common. They’ve both gotten used to public scrutiny. They both know how to keep their private life private. They’re both parents,” the insider told Page Six.

The source added, “They like to avoid drama, they share a lot of the same values.”

Information regarding how the couple’s relationship started remains to be uncertain, but the two celebrities live in Florida.

Vanessa’s oldest daughter, Kai Trump, is also a golfer, who committed to play at the University of Miami last August.

Vanessa and Kai were also seen watching Woods play at the TGL in Florida, an indoor league that he co-founded, according to pictures on Kai’s Instagram.