SWINGING BACK
Tiger Woods sacked me after I earned him $60 million – ‘zombie-like’ betrayal was like nothing I’d ever seen
Norton represented another of golf's biggest stars
HUGHES NORTON has opened up on being sacked by Tiger Woods after helping him pocket $60 million.
Norton was the legendary golfer's first agent, signing him up when he was aged just 13.
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The pair worked together until 1998, when they split just a year after Woods won his first ever Masters aged 21.
Their separation came despite Norton recently securing him £47m worth of sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Titleist.
Ahead of the release of his new book Rainmaker, the super agent has fired shots at Woods.
Norton told the Daily Mail: "It was betrayal with a capital B.
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"On a professional level, because I thought I'd done my job in spades. And on a personal level, because it was such a rejection of a relationship that we had built together for ten years."
Norton also lifted the lid on the moment Woods axed him with a "zombie-like" look in his eyes.
He added: "The solace I can take, which doesn’t provide much, is this: He was an equal opportunity zombie with relationships, his swing coaches, his lawyer, the guy negotiated the IMG representation deal, with caddies.
"When it's over, it's over.
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"It is the way he terminates relationships with everyone. Whether it's girlfriends, whether it's his former golf coaches.
"It's ironic, really. In a way he's so good at confrontation on the golf course. If he's playing you, he will beat your brains out every single time.
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"But when it comes to confronting things like me and other people that are in his life, he has no social skills whatsoever. It's maddening, actually."
Norton believes his split from Woods resulted in him losing his job at IMG just 60 days later.
But he would go on to manage two-time major champion Greg Norman.