‘I played golf with Tiger Woods, his Vanessa Trump relationship has shocked me, he is a ghost’

Former PGA Tour winner Brian Henninger has revealed that Tiger Woods was a “ghost” behind the scenes who never gave any clues about his wild lifestyle whilst dominating professional golf.

Henninger, who competed alongside Woods during the American’s peak years in the early 2000s, told The Sun that the 15-time major champion maintained an isolated presence amongst fellow professionals.

“Tiger Woods is not a person you’re going to go and hang out with,” Henninger said.

“He’s not eating with you in the lunchroom.”

Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump have been dating since Thanksgiving

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Despite Woods’ pleasant demeanour and thorough preparation – even knowing details about fellow players before meeting them – Henninger explained that Woods remained enigmatic to his peers.

“Behind the scenes, he was a ghost to most of us. We didn’t really know about his life off the course,” Henninger revealed.

Woods’ turbulent personal life included a high-profile divorce from Swedish model Elin Nordegren in 2010 following allegations of multiple affairs, and a 2017 guilty plea for reckless driving after being found passed out in his car with prescription drugs and marijuana in his system.

The golf legend is now dating Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr, a development that has surprised Henninger.

“I was surprised to see Tiger dating Vanessa Trump. Even though in today’s world, nothing surprises me anymore,” Henninger said.

The former tour professional suggested the relationship likely developed through Florida connections, noting: “But he lives in Florida, so I’m sure he’s interacting with Donald Trump, who owns a few golf courses down there and stuff.”

Henninger offered frank assessments of several golfing greats, describing Sir Nick Faldo as “arrogant” and labelling Jack Nicklaus a “narcissist”.

The American also applied the narcissist label to current world number one Scottie Scheffler, though he emphasised this trait was essential to their success.

Tiger Woods has had a wild life off the golf course

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“It takes a narcissistic person and Nicklaus is that person too, by the way, I’ve spent a little bit of time around him. These guys have big egos,” Henninger explained.

He suggested these personality characteristics were what separated elite players from the rest, noting that Woods’ focused and intimidating presence on the course was part of what made him exceptional.

“Tiger could be intimidating to some extent. I played with him right at his peak in the early 2000s,” Henninger recalled.

Henninger drew parallels between Woods and Scheffler, noting their similar ability to compartmentalise and perform under pressure.

Tiger Woods recently confirmed his new romance with Vanessa Trump on social mediaINSTAGRAM

“They can just turn it on and off. I mean, they get to the golf course and they’re like different human beings,” he said.

The comparison extends to their achievements, with Henninger observing: “I don’t know all the matrix behind it, but they are very close in terms of how many times they’ve won at a certain age and all the accomplishments.”

Scheffler’s mental fortitude particularly impressed Henninger, who recalled the golfer’s arrest during a tournament last year.

“They threw him in jail in the middle of a tournament last year, then he came out and shot 65, who does that?” Henninger marvelled, adding that such resilience was necessary for maintaining the world number one ranking.