Tiger Woods Moving On with New Girlfriend?
Woods reportedly dating Alyse Lahti Johnston; ex Elin Nordegren buys new home.
Mar. 21, 2011— -- Less than a year after finalizing their divorce, Tiger Woods and ex-wife Elin Nordegren appear to be moving on with their lives.
Woods, 35, has been spotted recently with a new lady friend, who bears some resemblance to Nordegren. The blond beauty is Alyse Lahti Johnston, a 22-year-old aspiring golf pro originally from Cleveland, Ohio.
Sports and entertainment blog TerezOwens.com first broke the news last Friday that the pair have been dating for a few months. "They went out on his yacht with another couple the other night and Tiger seems to be smitten over her," the blog post said.
Calls to Woods' rep were not immediately returned.
According to Britain's Daily Mail, Johnston moved to the Windermere, Fla., estate where her mother and stepfather live after graduating from Ohio State last year.
Windermere, interestingly, was where Woods and Nordegren lived when their marriage imploded amid his cheating scandal. What's more, Johnston's stepfather, Alastair Johnston, is on the board of IMG, the sports agency that reps Woods.
When Johnston decided she wanted to train for the LPGA Tour a few months ago, her stepfather hired a private coach, who, according to Radar Online, introduced Johnston to Woods.
Popeater gossip columnist Rob Shuter told ABC News that the two met at a golf game and have since become "friendly." But Shuter doesn't expect them to get serious.
"I'm not convinced this is his girlfriend yet or somebody that he's just having some fun with," he said. "Remember Tiger is trying to rebuild his image. ... The last thing he wants the public to see at the moment is him with a young pretty blond girl."
It appears Johnston has no intention of getting serious either with Woods, who is 13 years her senior. "She is a really nice girl, smart and super friendly. And she's also a bit of a wild child. She definitely likes to have fun," a former classmate told Radar.
Indeed, Johnston was arrested on suspicion of DUI last year.
In the mug shot taken after her October 9th arrest, Johnston hardly looks like the same woman photographed recently on Woods' yacht.
Represented by a high-profile Florida attorney, Johnston ultimately pled no contest to a lesser charge of reckless driving and was ordered to take a DUI course, according to the Daily Mail. She received a final charge of improper change of lane when she returned to court on January 21. The case is now closed.
"She has had an odd past -- definitely known as a party girl," Shuter said. "She hasn't really kept a job for terribly long, but she seems like a fun go-lucky girl who's hanging out with Tiger."
Meanwhile, Woods' ex Nordegren, 31, appears to be actively single again following reports late last year linking her to a 35-year-old South African man and fellow student at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., where they both were taking classes.