Five years ago, during the 2017 Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods introduced Erica Herman to the public as his girlfriend. The two have been together since then. Notably, she is the only woman to have a 3+ years-long relationship with him since his divorce from Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two children. While they are one of the power couples in the golf world now, not many believed them to last long; especially the golfer’s friends. 

Since his divorce from his ex-wife, Woods has been in several relationships, including with Olympian, Lindsey Vonn. The golfer and Vonn confirmed their relationship in 2013 which lasted nearly three years. He didn’t have any other long-lasting relationship after Vonn until he met Herman.

Therefore, his friends were skeptical when Herman came into his life. Although they loved her personality, they never thought their relationship would last this long. “It’s not like they’re pledging their lives to each other,” some of his friends told PEOPLE. “But she’s really nice, and Tiger likes her.” 

A good friend of Tiger Woods explained the golfer’s relationship with Erica Herman

Before meeting the 15-time major champion, Erica Herman worked as a restaurant manager. There are many theories on how they first met. However, the most popular one is that they met through his pop-up restaurant in Florida, known as The Woods Jupiter. “Tiger doesn’t like to be alone,” his friend explained after Woods revealed Herman as his girlfriend. “But he doesn’t like to settle,” he added. 

Read more: Tiger Woods Once Got Candid After Breaking Up With Ex, Lindsey Vonn

Woods has been in a relationship with Eric Herman since 2017, and they still are going strong. She often accompanies him at the golf tournament he participates in. In fact, she was even present when the golfer got inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. 

Notably, there have been rumors that the golfer has finally popped the question to his girlfriend recently and is planning to get married soon. However, the couple has yet to confirm the news. 

An insight into Erica Herman’s life

Erica Herman was born on February 15, 1984, in Florida, US. Reports suggest that she attended Palm Beach State College and the University of Central Florida. Although the 38-year-old has majored in legal studies, she worked as a manager for several restaurants, including The Woods. 

After attending the Presidents Cup in 2017, the golfer informed the world about their relationship through a social media post. The couple now lives in Woods’ mansion in Florida, which he built for himself after divorcing his first wife. Some insider sources revealed that the couple got engaged recently, although none of them have confirmed the news. 

Woods’ friends believed his relationship with Herman wouldn’t stay long as they thought he didn’t want to “settle.” However, he broke that belief and has been in a relationship with her for more than five years. 

Watch This Story: How Tiger Woods and Tom Brady’s New Project Will Be Worth Millions Even Billions in the Future