Chapter 37

Isleworth Golf I leave him alone. But his Rat Pack”—as she refers to Tiger’s longtime pals such as Bryon Bell, Jerry Chang, and Notah Begay III—“his Rat Pack goes down and enjoys.”

Discretion is the trait Tiger values most in his inner circle. And loyalty—though that can be a one-way street. “Very tough, unemotional, very cold,” is the verdict on how Tiger ends relationships, business or otherwise. “Tiger coldly cuts through and moves on.”

He’s very much like his mother in that way. “When Tiger says no, don’t ever go ask him again—that’s it,” Tida says of her son.

Earl is the emotional one in their family. “In my culture we don’t show that. It not proper. You lose face,” Tida says, comparing herself to Earl. “He’s Green Beret and all,” Tida says with a laugh, “but he’s more compassionate than I am. Tiger’s personality is more like mine than Dad’s.

“I am a loner, and so is Tiger,” she says. “We don’t waste time with people we don’t like.”