It came as no surprise when mainstream companies such as Gillette and Accenture distanced themselves from Tiger Woods in recent weeks, but now the somewhat insular golf community has stepped back too.Golf Digest announced Wednesday that it would suspend monthly articles that appear under Woods' name, at least until he returns to the PGA Tour."We respect Tiger's decision to take a break from professional golf and focus on his family," said Bret Hopman, a publicist for the magazine. "Tiger's bylined instruction articles will not be published in Golf Digest during his time away from the game."The news was unexpected, if only because athletes facing controversy usually fare better within the confines of their sport."On the surface, it is kind of surprising," David Carter, executive director of USC's Sports Business Institute, said. "However, they also have to sell advertising and be mindful of what their business partners expect."I think it is a function of how widespread Woods' marketing problems have become," he said.This month, the superstar golfer announced that he was taking an "indefinite" leave from the tour. Woods has weathered a media storm since an early-morning car accident in November and subsequent reports from multiple women alleging to have had sexual liaisons with him.The fallout has significantly damaged his status as a sports celebrity who earns an estimated $110 million annually in endorsements, according to Forbes magazine.Accenture, a global consulting firm, recently walked away from Woods, and Gatorade carried through with an earlier decision to stop making his sports drink. Gillette has discontinued advertisements featuring Woods, and AT&T; has said it is reevaluating their business relationship.As for Golf Digest, the magazine had come under fire for its latest cover -- which went to press before the scandal broke -- showing a photo illustration of Woods caddying for President Obama with the headline: "10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger."Woods' exclusive agreement with the magazine reportedly pays $3 million annually."We're not going to comment on the compensation," Hopman said.However, the magazine is keeping Woods on the masthead and Hopman said: "Golf Digest has had a long-standing relationship with Tiger Woods . . . we do not have any plans to change that."The golfer got another show of support this week from Tag Heuer. The Swiss watchmaker displayed a black-and-white photograph of Woods on its website, a watch draped over his left hand, with the words: "Tag Heuer stands with Tiger Woods." ||||| The moment has come for Tiger Woods to move beyond the heat rub and get back into the big time. 
 
 Two years after a sex scandal demolished the golfer's endorsement career, he has signed on with watchmaker Rolex, his first major pact since the incident. 
 
 Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Sports marketing experts say privately held Rolex SA is likely getting Mr. Woods for much less than the millions of dollars he commanded when he was untarnished and at the top of his game. 
 
 Mr. Woods was the most powerful brand endorser on Madison Avenue before marital infidelities and other foibles landed him in the tabloid press in 2009. Amid the public-relations nightmare, Mr. Woods lost several major sponsors, including AT&T, Accenture and Gillette. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Associated Press Tiger Woods has lost major sponsors. Above, he teed off Wednesday. 
 
 Experts are surprised that Mr. Woods was able to grab such a high-profile consumer brand, especially given that he hasn't won an event in almost two years and fell out of the top 50 golfers for the first time since 1996. Earlier this year, Mr. Woods signed with a small Japanese company to endorse a muscle-pain heat rub. 
 
 Mark Steinberg, Mr. Woods's agent, declined to comment on the specifics of the deal but said his client wasn't entering the marketplace at a significantly reduced rate. "I feel confident and bullish on his marketability," said Mr. Steinberg, who added he is in the late stages of negotiations for a bag sponsor. 
 
 Before the scandal, Mr. Woods earned roughly $90 million a year from his marketing pacts and was seen as the most powerful endorsement property in sports. 
 
 Research suggests that prior to the scandal, Mr. Woods was the 11th most effective product spokesperson—on par with Bill Cosby. As of July, Mr. Woods ranked 2,775th, putting him alongside Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, according to Davie-Brown Entertainment, an Omnicom Group Inc. unit that tracks celebrities' appeal using online consumer polls. 
 
 Rolex and Mr. Woods have a long history. Mr. Woods promoted Rolex's Tudor watch for about five years and then switched alliances to rival Tag Heuer in 2002. At the time, Tag Heuer agreed to pay about $2 million annually for three years, according to people close to the company. 
 
 When he jumped to Tag Heuer Mr. Woods said, "My tastes have changed." 
 
 Tag Heuer, owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, ended its relationship with Mr. Woods several months ago—after standing by the golfer during the scandal. 
 
 Rolex said it believes Mr. Woods "has a long career ahead of him and that he has all the qualities required to continue to mark the history of golf." 
 
 The deal is a "clear indicator that mainstream corporate America is coming around," says Kevin Adler, founder of Engage Marketing, a sports-marketing firm in Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Woods is scheduled to play this week in the Frys.com Open, an opportunity to practice a new swing he has tried to develop. He didn't qualify for the Tour Championship, professional golf's late season playoff. 
 
 "Marketers and consumers love a comeback story," says Sam Sussman, senior vice president and director at Starcom, a media buying unit of ad giant Publicis Groupe SA. 
 
 —Matthew Futterman contributed to this article. ||||| One of Tiger Woods’ major sponsors publicly backed the shamed star yesterday – amid claims they were on the verge of ditching him. 
 
 Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer axed pictures of Woods from its website as details of his alleged affairs emerged. 
 
 But the firm yesterday re-posted the images under the headline: TAG Heuer stands with Tiger Woods. 
 
 The company claimed its decision to remove the photos was a “supportive move”. 
 
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 The site also explained that Woods had been TAG Heuer brand ambassador since 2002 and insisted the relationship was “strictly professional”. 
 
 Woods has admitted cheating on wife Elin, with at least 14 women coming forward to claim they had affairs with him. 
 
 Consulting firm Accenture dropped him as its representative earlier this month. 
 
 Gillette also said it would stop broadcasting his advertisements for its razors for the foreseeable future. 
 
 
 
 
 
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– Golf Digest has distanced itself—temporarily, the magazine says—from Tiger Woods, in a sign that his escapades have seriously damaged the golfer’s cachet. Woods’ name will remain on the masthead, but his instructional columns will be on hiatus as long as he is. The move is shocking because a beleaguered athlete’s own sports community is usually a main source of support, the Los Angeles Times observes. A contributing factor may have been the magazine’s latest cover, printed before the scandal broke, which features “10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger.” Meanwhile, after TAG Heuer appeared to be preparing to drop the golfer, the watchmaker posted a note on its website reading, “TAG Heuer stands with Tiger Woods,” the Daily Mirror reports.