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[first post] American telecommunications company AT&T is the latest sponsor to distance itself from golfer Tiger Woods after he admitted before Christmas to “infidelity” in his marriage. Woods, who it is claimed sent texts to some of his alleged mistresses, had been with the mobile phone giant for more than five years.

AT&T would not comment on its reasons for dropping Woods, who announced on December 11 that he was taking an indefinite break from golf. In a statement, the company said: “We are ending our sponsorship agreement with Tiger Woods and wish him well in the future.”

The billionaire golfer, who turned 34 on December 30, has already been dropped by consulting firm Accenture while drinks manufacturer Gatorade has discontinued a line of Tiger Woods-branded energy drinks.

The razor maker Gillette and the Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer have also scaled down their use of Woods, although shortly before Christmas Tag Heuer announced that it would still “stand by [our] brand ambassador”.

Meanwhile the golfer’s wife, Elin Nordegren, is reported to have spent the new year holiday in the French alpine resort of Chamonix. She and her twin sister, Josefin, marked their 30th birthdays on New Year’s Day.

AT&T joins exodus of Tiger Woods sponsors