English professional golfer Lee Westwood has reached a last minute financial settlement with his estranged wife, avoiding a court hearing in Florida.
Westwood married Laurae (sic) Coltart in 1999 – the sister of rival professional golfer Andrew Coltart. The couple went on to have two children but the relationship broke down in 2015 and they separated. He returned to Britain and now lives in Newcastle.
Laurae filed for divorce in Palm Beach, where the couple previously lived. Mr Westwood did not attend an initial deposition, The Sun reports, but then reached an unspecified out-of-court settlement with her shortly before a family court hearing was due to begin.
According to the paper, Mr Westwood has an estimated fortune of £50 million following a successful career which saw him reach the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking. In 2010 he became World Number One, dethroning Tiger Woods.
Their couple’s marriage has now been declared “irretrievably broken” and consequently formally dissolved.
The court documents state:
“…each spouse is restored to the status of being single and unmarried.”
