Tiger Woods has had effect on Thai sports like nobody else

Tiger Woods’ first vacation to Thailand was a lot different from when he goes there for work.

“No one knew who I was,” Woods said Wednesday with a smile.

That might be true when no one’s trying to bother him at a resort with his mother, children and girlfriend. Still, there’s no question Woods is one of Thailand’s most lauded sports heroes, and he has inspired a whole generation of Thai golfers.

His mother was born and raised in Thailand. Since his first Masters win in 1997, Woods has seen his face plastered across Bangkok’s newspapers and television stations throughout his highs and lows.

Woods identified himself “Cablinasian” — Caucasian, Black, American Indian and Asian — on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1997. Even so, he has always reciprocated the special kinship he has with his Thai roots.

“We wanted to have at least one time where the kids got a chance to experience Thailand with my mom, and so it was special for all of us,” Woods said. “The fact that my kids got a chance to be with my mom in her home country was pretty special considering that that may never happen again.”

Woods has won his share of tournaments in the Southeast Asian country — he won the 1998 and 2000 Johnnie Walker Classics in Phuket and Bangkok, respectively. The 1998 victory was the most memorable — he started the final round eight shots behind Ernie Els, shot 65 and beat him in a playoff. That remains his greatest final-round comeback.

And it was at the 1998 tournament in Phuket that Chuah Choo Chiang, senior director of communications for the PGA Tour who has spent most of his career involved in Asian Tour golf, truly realized the impact Woods had on the region.

“As Tiger was about to win the tournament, one of the Thai players said, ‘Hey, it’s...