Hughes Norton was by Tiger Woods’ side throughout the early years of his professional career and into his dominant era, before being sacked by the PGA Tour star in 1998.
Tiger Woods has faced allegations of ‘betrayal’ from his ex-agent Hughes Norton, who collaborated with the renowned golfer during the initial stages of his professional journey.
Norton’s association with Woods began when the latter was a mere 13-year-old, well before his ascent to stardom in the world of professional golf. The agent played a pivotal role in shaping the American golfer’s career, facilitating lucrative contracts with prominent brands such as Titleist and notably, Nike.
Norton stood by Woods as he triumphed in his inaugural major championship at the 1997 Masters Tournament, securing his first of five green jackets with an extraordinary 12-shot lead at Augusta National.
However, a year later, despite Woods’ status as an accomplished 82-time PGA Tour winner, he decided to part ways with Norton, resulting in a harsh and unforgiving conclusion. In anticipation of his upcoming book, ‘Rainmaker’, Norton expressed his feelings to the Daily Mail, describing the separation as a profound betrayal.
From a professional standpoint, I believed that I had fulfilled my responsibilities exceptionally well. On a personal level, however, it was disheartening to witness the complete disregard for the decade-long bond we had forged. As I delved further into Woods’ character, I realized that his apathetic demeanor played a significant role in my ability to not take the termination too personally.
The small comfort I can find, although it is not much, is this: He treated everyone equally as a zombie with regards to his relationships, his swing coaches, his lawyer, the person who negotiated the IMG representation deal, and even the caddies,” he remarked. “Once it’s done, it’s done. That’s how he ends relationships with everyone, be it girlfriends or his former golf coaches. It’s quite ironic, to be honest.
“In a sense, he excels at confrontation on the golf course. If he’s competing against you, he will consistently outperform you. However, when it comes to confronting issues with people like me and others in his life, he lacks any social skills whatsoever. It’s truly frustrating.”.
Norton’s departure from Woods was not the only instance where a prominent figure had collaborated and then separated from him. Norton had also joined forces with former world No. 1 and current CEO of LIV Golf, Greg Norman. However, after 11 years of working together, Norman also terminated his partnership with Norton. Surprisingly, Norton found Norman’s decision much easier to accept compared to Woods’ departure.
Norman’s desire to venture out on his own after more than a decade of collaboration was somewhat understandable to Norton. He acknowledged that it is common for superstars to eventually pursue their own paths. Norton expressed his disappointment and feeling shattered when Norman left, as they were close friends and he did not anticipate the separation. Nevertheless, the situation with Woods was significantly more challenging and distressing for Norton.
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