Elin Nordegren Is Dating West Virginia Coal Billionaire
By LINDA MARX
What began as a friendship between two North Palm Beach neighbors - Elin Nordegren and billionaire coal magnate Chris Cline - has blossomed into a romance, sources tell PEOPLE.
"Elin was introduced to Chris by a local friend because they seem to have a lot in common," a source tells PEOPLE. "They both have children, like to keep their personal lives quiet, believe in philanthropy, and enjoy leisure outdoor activity." The ex-wife of Tiger Woods has been seeing the West Virginia-raised Cline (who is reportedly worth $1.2 billion) since the beginning of the recent holiday season.
Both own property in the exclusive oceanfront estate community called Seminole Landing. "They have a nice casual relationship that has blossomed into a romance," the source tells PEOPLE. "Elin is very impressed with him. She thinks he is a cool guy." Married twice (and widowed and divorced) - and the father of four - Cline, 53, owns the company Foresight Reserves, as well as a luxury yacht, which he charters out for Mediterranean or Caribbean cruises. Named Mine Games, its sundeck features a swim-up bar and whirlpool, as well as a party favorite 72" plasma flat screen TV.
At this point, the relationship between the two is casual and non-exclusive. Nordergren, 33, is busy building a mansion on her Seminole Landing property after razing the original $12 million house which she bought after her divorce from Woods was final. Cline travels constantly for business and also has a home in West Virginia. "There is nothing serious at this point," the source goes on to say. "But Elin definitely wants to settle down again with a family man who will love her children, Sam and Charlie."
source Poll Well? Chris Cline, Elin Nordegren's Billionaire Boyfriend: 5 Things You Don't Know
Here, Us Weekly uncovers five facts about the 53-year-old coal tycoon that has reportedly captured Nordegren's attention.
1. Cline is worth a reported $1.2 billion. Foresight Energy produces 20 million tons of coal a year mostly in Illinois, according to Forbes.
2. The coal business is in his blood. The West Virginia native's grandfather mined coal and his father bought out a mining partner's share for $500,000 to give Cline when he was 21, Forbes reports.
3. Cline has been previously married twice and has four children, two sons and two daughters. Cline's first wife, Sabrina, died of breast cancer in 1987. He remarried in 1993 to second wife Kelly, but they got divorced in 2000.
4. He owns a 150-acre estate in his hometown of Beckley, West Virginia and a 34,000 square foot ocean front mansion in Palm Beach, Fla. where Foresight Energy has its headquarters. (Nordegren has been renovating her own $12 million North Palm Beach mansion as well.) Cline also owns a luxury yacht called Mine Game that, according to Bloomberg, features five staterooms and a two-person submarine.
5. Despite what some environmentalists may say about the use of coal, he's proud of the work he does. "As far as the social acceptability of coal, I like to think I'm part of supplying the cheapest energy in America," Cline told Bloomberg in October 2010.
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