Swiss watchmaker drops Tiger from US ads

NEW YORK: Tiger Woods lost backing from his third major sponsor in a week Friday when Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer revealed it is dropping the golf star from US advertising campaigns in the wake of his +++ scandal.

In a move that follows consulting firm Accenture ending a six-year deal with Woods, Tag Heuer chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin told Swiss newspaper Le Matin his firm will not use Woods images in US ads for the foreseeable future.

"We recognize Tiger Woods as a great sportsman but we have to take account of the sensitivity of some consumers in relation to recent events," Babin told the newspaper.

The company, a unit of French luxury goods empire LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, will continue to back Woods''s charity foundation, Babin said.

Tag Heuer''s move mirrors that of razormaker Gillette, which last weekend announced it was dropping Woods from commercials during his hiatus, calling it a supportive move.

"As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs," Gillette said.

On a day when Elin Woods reportedly hired famed Hollywood divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope and details emerged about a 2007 deal between a US magazine and Woods to keep an extra-marital affair secret, Tag Heuer provided another blow.

Elin Woods has hired 82-year-old Trope, a noted divorce attorney who has represented such stars as Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Nicolas Cage, Britney Spears and Cary Grant in a 60-year career, the New York Post said.

Trope''s reputation as a tough dealmaker could help the former Swedish model, who reportedly signed a pre-nuptual agreement with Woods but might be in line for even greater riches given her humiliations of the past weeks.

That is, if Woods has any riches remaining.