Tiger Woods appears in first TV commercial since sex scandal... and it's for Japanese heat rub

• Tiger now the face of Vantelin Kowa' Japanese heat rub
• Despite loss of big contracts, he remains world's best paid athlete
  

New deal: Tiger Woods can now be seen on Japanese TV promoting a pain reliever, his first endorsement since he was caught in a sex scandal in late 2009

Cheer up, Tiger.

You've staged a comeback in the lucrative world of TV commercials... at least in Japan.

Tiger Woods can now be seen pitching 'Vantelin Kowa' Japanese heat rub in 15-second spots for the Kowa Corporation on Japanese TV.

It's arguably some good news for the golf superstar, who has had a rough few years, since allegations surfaced in November 2009 that he was having numerous extramarital affairs.

The golf great hasn't won a major tournament since before his infidelities surfaced, and he has recently been plagued with injuries.

As a result of the bad press, several top-flight advertisers ended their relationships with Mr Woods, 35, including Accenture, AT&T, Gillette and PepsiCo.

It's unclear how much money Mr Woods will be earning from the Japanese TV spots, which first aired Friday, in a deal that was announced on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Kowa told AFP: 'We don't think there is any', when asked if there was any risk in using the disgraced athlete.

It's certainly true that Kowa has now appeared on the radar of millions of consumers in the West, many of whom likely hadn't heard of the company or its products.

Tiger rub: Vantelin Kowa packages are seen at a drug store in Tokyo on June 30. Tiger Woods' TV commercial for the product started airing on July 1st

More Kowa products for sale in Tokyo

Time will tell if other companies will follow suit and seek endorsements from Mr Woods, now that Kowa has stepped up as the first one to do so after the scandal.

The New York Post noted that this marks Mr Woods' second endorsement contract with a Japanese firm, since he had signed a three-year deal with Asahi Soft Drinks in 1997 to promote canned coffee for an estimated $11 million.

Mr Woods lost an estimated $35 million a year in cancelled endorsement deals as a result of his scandal, according to Forbes.

Even so, the dirty secret is that the golfer has retained the top spot as the world's highest paid athlete, making $75 million over the past 12 months ending in May.

That's a whopping $22 million more than the next ranked sports star, basketball player Kobe Bryant.

Mr Woods had to miss the U.S. Open due to injury, and he may not make the British Open July 14 through 17.

Mr Woods has won 14 major titles in his brilliant career, though he has yet to fully bounce back from his 2009 scandal.

It's no secret that he faces an ugly and supremely expensive divorce, but at least he is making some new money.

Former glory: Tiger Woods used to appear in Gillette commercials, before the contract was cancelled after his sex scandal. He still remains the world's highest paid athlete