Tiger Woods will not be welcomed back by everyone in Augusta at the Masters… especially not the owner of the rented house he ‘trashed’
The 42-year-old was slated after he left the property, which he shared with Mark O'Meara, in an unacceptable state
TIGER WOODS will not be welcomed by everyone in Augusta next week when he plays in his first Masters for three years.
Including the owner of the rented house he ‘trashed’ on a regular basis.
His contempt towards the owner of the property he stayed in for five years is detailed in an explosive new book – simply called ‘tiger woods’ – to be published on Tuesday.
It blames his attitude on his “warped upbringing” , with over-protective parents Earl and Tida convincing him he was destined for greatness, and could live by different standards.
It's also an example of his legendary mean-ness – another passage describes how lackeys would follow him to restaurants and leave big tips on his behalf to protect his reputation.
The damage caused to the rented house he shared with fellow Masters champion Mark O’Meara came to a head after Woods won the third of his four green jackets in 2002 - when he brought his future wife, Elin, along for the first time.
The authors, respected American writers Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, set the scene by explaining: “Starting in 1998, each year during the week of the Masters, Tiger stayed with Mark and Alicia O’Meara at the Augusta-area home of Peggy Lewis.
“He liked it there for a number of reasons. It was out of the way, and afforded great privacy - plus O’Meara always paid the rent.
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“And when O’Meara failed to make the cut, he would leave town on Friday night, meaning Tiger had the place to himself for the remainder of the weekend.”
O’Meara failed to qualify for the final 36 holes and left town early in 2002, and after his victory Woods was asked how he would celebrate that night.
The book reveals: “He replied: ‘I’m not going to tell you how, but I will celebrate'.
“It must have been some celebration, because the next day, when Peggy Lewis returned to her home, it was a wreck.
“Shaving cream was smeared on the bedroom and bathroom walls. Plates with partially eaten food were left under Tiger’s bed. The kitchen looked as though it had hosted a frat party.
“Lewis ended up staying in a hotel that night while a cleaning service restored her home, A few weeks later she got her phone bill and discovered more than $100 worth of calls had been made to Sweden and England during the weekend of the Masters.
“Fed up, Lewis did something she’d never done – placed a call to Tiger’s office.
Tiger Woods' career achievements
- Won 79 official PGA Tour events - second only to Sam Snead.
- Won 14 majors - second only to Jack Nicklaus.
- Woods has the lowest career scoring in PGA Tour history.
- He is one of five players to have won all four professional major championships in his career.
- Woods set the all-time PGA Tour record for most consecutive cuts made, with 142.
- He has won a record 25.2% of his professional starts on the PGA Tour.
- The 42-year-old is the only golfer to have won the U.S Amateur three consecutive times.
- Awarded the PGA Player of the Year a record eleven times.
- Awarded PGA Tour Player of the Year a record eleven times.
- PGA Tour Money Leader a record ten times.
- Won the Vardon Trophy a record nine times.
- Has been the receipient of the Byron Nelson Award a record nine times.
“It was bad enough that Tiger had never paid her for use of her home or left her a tip, but what really upset her was his basic lack of respect and appreciation.
“Year after year she would return home to find her personal property damaged or destroyed, none of which Tiger had apologised for, or offered to replace. When Tiger’s assistant got on the phone, Lewis unloaded.
“He’s not allowed in my house again, Lewis told her, launching into a list of grievances that ranged from small (once she found a white comforter covered in bloodstains in Tiger’s room) to expensive (in 2001 she had to replace a dining room table after she found cigarette burns all over the surface).
“There had been Sunday nights when Lewis had to go to a hotel because Tiger was still at her house. It irritated her that in those circumstances Tiger still didn’t offer to pay her expenses.
“But it was the calls to Sweden that pushed her over the edge. Tiger was the richest athlete in the world. Would it really be so difficult to leave behind some money and a note explaining they had used the phone?”
Lewis was told to send the phone bill to one of Woods’ assistants.
The authors add: “A few days later, Lewis received a bouquet of flowers from Tiger’s office. Then a couple of weeks after that she received an envelope containing a photocopy of her phone bill, and a cheque.
“The calls that Elin had made were highlighted in yellow: the cheque was for the exact amount of those calls, not a penny more.
“Tiger’s inability to show gratitude, apologise, or express appreciation was rooted in his warped upbringing. His mother pampered him like a prince, and his father rarely uttered the words ‘thank you’ or ‘I’m sorry’.
“Tiger learned early and often that his needs were all that mattered. His unapologetically self-centred attitude was critical to his success in golf, but it had an utterly devastating impact on the way people perceived him.
“Sadly, Woods didn’t seem to care about the latter part. It didn’t matter that someone like Peggy Lewis would have adored him for life if he’d simply acknowledged and thanked her."
It was left to the horrified O’Mearas to purchase a new table for Lewis when they heard about the complaints.
Even if they return to the same property this year, it is a safe bet that Woods will not be one of their house guests.
