Tiger Woods, in his happier days.
It was supposed to be one lucky photog’s ticket to retirement — the first person to snap a picture of Tiger Woods after the golfer reemerged in public was going to make enough money to spend his days in luxury. But now the shots have been released by photo behemoth Getty Images, effectively dashing the dreams of paparazzi everywhere.
The world has been more than eager to catch a glimpse of Tiger ever since he crashed his car and bubbled up in the middle of a shocking sex scandal. But the disgraced golfer disappeared soon after, leaving celebrity photographers scheming and drooling over how much the first pictures of him might fetch (according to celebrity website TMZ, that would be around $1 million).
But now the first images have emerged, and it doesn’t look like anyone will be getting rich. Getty Images, a subscription-based photography agency and distributor of generic photos, has obtained the shots as part of a recent deal with the Professional Golf Association. That means anyone with a subscription to Getty can get the photos for hardly anything, ensuring paparazzi photographers won’t be walking away with a million dollar check.
So as Tiger skulks out of the woods and offers apologies to fans, friends and family, celebrity hounds will have to find themselves another golden goose. But don’t feel too sorry for them — a new scandal is always around the corner.