In a recent interview with the American magazine Sports Illustrated, he claimed that "Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity". When pressed on this point "more than Nelson Mandela? More than Gandhi?" Mr Woods continued:

"Yes, because he has a larger forum than any of them. Because he's playing a sport that's international. Because he's qualified through his ethnicity to accomplish miracles. He's the bridge between East and West. He is the Chosen One. He will have the power to impact nations. The world is just getting a taste of his power."

His mother concurs. "He can hold everyone together,"she says. "He is the Universal Child." Woods who shares some of his mother's Buddhist faith (every year on his birthday he travels with her to a temple where he makes a gift of rice, sugar and salt to the monks) claims that these expectations are not a burden on him: "I see it as fortunate," he has said. "I've always known where I wanted to go in life. I've never let anything deter me. This is my purpose. It will unfold." . . .

Witness the Woods Nike ad that ran on American television last year: Woods faces the camera and lists his remarkable achievements before stating:

"Hello world. There are still courses in the United States that I am not allowed to play because of the colour of my skin. Hello world. I've heard that I'm not ready for you. Are you ready for me?"