Social media was buzzing again this week thanks to golf superstar Tiger Woods and girlfriend/skiing champion Lindsey Vonn-or "Liger", as some in the press have referred to them lately.
One week after Woods confirmed that he and the former Olympic skiing champion were dating on his Facebook page, Vonn returned the favor by congratulating her new beau on Twitter Monday to congratulate Woods on being ranked as the No.1 golfer in the world for the first time in nearly three years.
"Number 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!" the 28-year-old Vonn posted on her Twitter account.
Woods sealed his No.1 ranking Monday thanks to his victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his third win in 2013, as he heads into the PGA Masters Tournament in April.
The couple has been the talk of the sports world for weeks ever since rumors first surfaced months ago that Woods, who split from ex-wife Elin Nordegren in a costly divorce, and Vonn, who tore her ACL in February during the skiing world championships, were dating. Woods finally confirmed those rumors on his Facebook page last week.
"This season has been great so far and I'm happy with my wins at Torrey and Doral. Something nice that's happened off the course was meeting Lindsey Vonn," Woods posted on his Facebook page with a picture of Vonn. "Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating. We thank you for your support and for respecting our privacy. We want to continue our relationship, privately, as an ordinary couple and continue to compete as athletes."
Vonn also confirmed that she was seeing Woods, relenting on her own Facebook page that their relationship wasn't a "well kept secret."
"Our relationship evolved from a friendship into something more over these past few months and it has made me very happy. I don't plan on addressing this further as I would like to keep that part of my life between us, my family and close friends. Thank you for understanding and your continued support! xo LV," Vonn posted.
Woods has remarkably turned things around after the infidelity scandal in 2009 cost him millions of dollars and smeared his image publicly.
However, a new Nike ad that was released following the announcement of Woods' No.1 ranking has raised some eyebrows.
"Winning takes care of everything," read the ad, which was posted on Nike's Twitter page.
The ad has already been retweeted more than 2,500 times with nearly 600 favorites as of Tuesday. Reviews of the ad have been mixed, USA Today reports, with some questioning Nike's decision to use such an ad, which brought to mind the allegations of several extramarital affairs that Woods allegedly took part in while married to Nordegren.
Annie Kessler, 25, in Columbus, Ohio, tweeted that the ad was a "poor choice" for Nike, as the Associated Press reported.
However, Nike spokeswoman Beth Gast defended the ad, stating that it referenced Woods' drive for victory on the golf course.
"When asked about his goals such as getting back to number one, he has said consistently winning is the way to get there," she said in an email response to a query. "The statement references that sentiment and is a salute to his athletic performance."
However, as Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates in New York pointed out to the Press, the ad comes with risks.
"They're looking at this and saying, 'Time has passed, he's winning again, it's time to turn up the volume on our association,' " Adamson said. "But it's risky when you associate with a celebrity only based on winning or losing. Consumers care about how you play the game: both the actual game and the game of life."