Does Tiger Woods’ past explain his scandal?

In light of Woods’ recent troubles — a career, marriage and legacy marred by allegations of affairs with more than a dozen different women, many observers have wondered if anything in the golfer’s early life hinted at his future “infidelities.” People magazine has also reported that the couple now plans to split. In numerous interviews […]

In light of Woods’ recent troubles — a career, marriage and legacy marred by allegations of affairs with more than a dozen different women, many observers have wondered if anything in the golfer’s early life hinted at his future “infidelities.” People magazine has also reported that the couple now plans to split. In numerous interviews Woods, 34, has praised his parents for encouraging his interest in golf, honing a naturally competitive drive, and helping him focus his concentration.

Some have suggested that Woods had a difficult time coping with his father’s death and began cheating on wife Elin Nordegren as a result, perhaps seeking to fill that void in his life.  In a statement following Earl’s death Woods called his father “an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend,” adding, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

But many of the women who have admitted to affairs with the golfer, including Jungers, say their dalliances began well before Earl’s death.

In an interview with Esquire magazine, when Woods was 21, the year he became the first person of color to win a major, and one year after he dropped out of college, turned pro and signed a $40 million endorsement deal with Nike, he no longer seemed as awkward. Instead Woods comes across in the interview as a cocky, self-confident professional sportsman fond of dirty jokes and flirting with the women applying his makeup at a photo shoot.

Though his parents could agree to unconditionally support Woods from the sidelines at his tournaments, they were not in accord when it came to their own marriage. Never legally separated, Earl and Kultida, who goes by “Tida” lived in separate homes across the country from each other — his father remained in Tiger’s boyhood home in Cypress, Calif., and his mother moved to Florida to be closer to her son.

A retired Army lieutenant colonel, Earl served two tours of duty as a green beret in Vietnam. He gave his son, the middle name Tiger (his first name is Eldric) in honor of a South Vietnamese officer, Col. Vuong Dang Phong, nicknamed “Tiger,” who saved his life.

Some of Woods’s famous friends say they have been unable to contact the golfer to offer him advice or consolation. “He’s insulated,” Spike Lee told cable news network HLN. “If Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan can’t get to him, and those are his boys, then other people are making bad moves.”

ESPN.com