LOS ANGELES - Tiger Woods took the unusual step of confirming his romance with Donald Trump's former daughter-in-law on Sunday in a brief post on social media.

Golf superstar Woods -- renowned for jealously guarding his private life over the years -- confirmed in a post on X that he is dating Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr.

"Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side," Woods wrote in a caption above two photos of himself relaxing with Vanessa Trump.

"At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts."

The post comes after weeks of tabloid rumors about the couple.

Vanessa Trump, who divorced Donald Trump Jr. in 2018 after a 13-year marriage, also posted a picture of her and Woods together on her Instagram account in what appeared to be a coordinated announcement.

Sunday's announcement would once have been unthinkable for Woods, who famously named his luxury yacht "Privacy".

Woods's private life was laid bare during the 2009 sex scandal that upended his career and led to the implosion of his six-year marriage to Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two children.

Nordegren and Woods separated amid revelations of the golf star's serial infidelity, with reports suggesting he had slept with as many as 120 women during his marriage.

© Agence France-Presse