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Woods, Disney tie knot?
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April 11, 2001: 9:55 a.m. ET
Golf great, entertainment giant set endorsement deal, newspaper says
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Walt Disney Co. is set to announce it has signed Tiger Woods as a spokesman for various Disney properties, a published report said Wednesday.
 The Wall Street Journal, citing an executive familiar with the deal, said the agreement would solidify the 25-year-old golf star's position as one of the most important endorsers in the world of professional sports.
Terms of the endorsement deal were not available, the report said, but Woods has commanded as much as $20 million for a sponsorship deal with Nike Inc. (NKE: down $0.46 to $38.96, Research, Estimates)
Woods earned $54 million last year from a dozen endorsement deals, according to Burns Sports Celebrity Service, a business that represents companies in the hiring of celebrities. That surpasses the estimated $45 million basketball legend Michael Jordan made in his best year.
Woods has contracts with General Motors (GM: down $1.21 to $52.79, Research, Estimates), Rolex, American Express (AXP: up $0.13 to $38.30, Research, Estimates) and General Mills, among others. For Disney, Woods would appear in commercials for the company's theme parks, endorse merchandise, and work with Disney's ESPN unit.
Woods made history by winning the Masters at Augusta Sunday, becoming the first person in the modern era to win professional golf's four major championships in a row.
A Disney (DIS: Research, Estimates) spokeswoman declined to comment, as did Woods' agent, the newspaper said in its report.
-- from staff and wire reports 
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