Tiger Woods Dropped by TAG Heuer From Watch-Endorsement Deal as Rank Falls

TAG Heuer, the Swiss watchmaker owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA (MC), ended its endorsement agreement with Tiger Woods when the golfer’s contract expired last month.

TAG Heuer, based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, had limited its use of Woods’s image in certain markets following a November 2009 car accident that led to his admission of marital infidelity and personal and professional decline. The company signed Woods in 2002.

Mark Steinberg, Woods’s agent, confirmed in an e-mail that the agreement ended. He declined to provide further details.

Over the past 19 months, Woods has lost endorsement agreements with companies including AT&T Inc. (T), Accenture Plc (ACN) and PepsiCo Inc.’s Gatorade brand. The 14-time major champion has maintained commercial contracts with Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS), Nike Inc. (NKE), Upper Deck, Berkshire Hathaway’s NetJets Inc., and TLC Vision Corp. He began promoting a muscle-relief heat rub made by Japan-based Kowa Co. in June.

Woods, 35, hasn’t won a tournament since the 2009 Australian Masters, a week before the accident, and is 30th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He finished 37th yesterday in the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational, 18 shots behind winner Adam Scott, who is now using Woods’s former caddie.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Buteau in Atlanta at mbuteau@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net

Enlarge image

Tiger Woods Dropped by TAG Heuer

David McNew/Getty Images

A TAG Heuer watch billboard with an image of golf legend Tiger Woods is shown in Los Angeles, California.

A TAG Heuer watch billboard with an image of golf legend Tiger Woods is shown in Los Angeles, California. Photographer: David McNew/Getty Images