The Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer has said it will continue its association with Tiger Woods despite the golfer's highly public personal problems.

"We will continue," the company spokeswoman, Mariam Sylla, told the Associated Press. "He's the best in his domain. We respect his performance in the sport." She added that Woods's personal life is "not our business".

Tag Heuer has been sponsoring Woods, who last week announced that he is taking an indefinite leave from golf, since 2002. Financial details of the agreement have not been announced.

Tag Heuer's comment came a day after the global consulting firm Accenture became the first major sponsor to announce it was cutting ties with Woods. Gillette, another major sponsor, has announced that it is to phase the golfer out of its promotional material, at least temporarily. "Tiger is still part of Gillette," the company's spokesman, Mike Norton, said. "We support him as he takes a break from his professional career and that's why we're supporting him by limiting his role in our marketing programmes." Nike and the computer game company Electronic Arts both continue to support Woods.