Eddie Jordan's true character shone through as he doubled Tiger Woods' rent
Woods, a three-time Open champion, is currently out of the game as he recuperates from an operation. The golf legend, with 15 major titles to his name, had a memorable encounter with former F1 team boss Jordan before the 2006 World Match Play Championship at Wentworth in Surrey.
Initially hesitant to lend his property to Woods and his entourage, Jordan, who sadly passed away in March after a fight with cancer, had a change of heart. In a savvy move, he doubled the rent but donated the proceeds to two charities.
"Though Tiger's management company, IMG, had offered to pay us £15,000 (€17k) for the week, I later told them the price was double that," Jordan recounted to the Irish Independent in 2009. "Then I requested that two cheques be written for £15,000 each, one made out to the Tiger Woods Foundation and the other to my charity CLIC (Cancel Leukaemia in Children).
"When I told Tiger what I had done, he thought it was classic. A great move. He loved it. Then I explained that this was normal practice in motor racing."
It seems Woods' caddie Steve Williams, a fan of Jordan's motorsport legacy, played a part in connecting the two icons. Jordan's autobiography revealed that Woods arrived alongside his wife, caddie, housekeeper and chef. Woods stayed in Jordan's home for the tournament in 2006 (Image:)
The property being let out meant Jordan and his wife Marie had to temporarily live in their annexe. However, this arrangement gave the former F1 commentator a unique insight into Woods' meticulous approach to perfecting his game.
"Tiger's dedication to the game is extraordinary," Jordan wrote in his autobiography, An Independent Man. "He practised on the fifth green, which is nearby, and insisted that he hit 100 five-foot putts before he could leave. If he missed one, he would do another 100. He just kept knocking them in.
"By this stage, he had a huge following of admirers. It was amusing to watch what happened when he finally walked off the green and disappeared into the trees.
"People assumed he had gone for a pee. Little did they realise that he was heading for the back gate of our house, through which he would disappear, not to be seen until the match itself. That was one of the reasons why he liked to stay in a local house rather than a hotel." Woods has not played competitively since The Open in 2024 (Image:)
Injuries have hampered Woods' career in recent times. He underwent back surgery last September before suffering an ACL injury in March.
Whilst Woods began this year by participating in the new TGL format, his most recent tournament outing was at The Open in 2024, where he missed the cut.
After his second round at Royal Troon last year, Woods said: "I've always loved playing major championships. I just wish I was more physically sharp coming into the majors.
"Obviously it tests you mentally, physically, emotionally, and I just wasn't as sharp as I needed to be. I was hoping that I would find it somehow. I just never did, and consequently my results and scores were pretty high."
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