A mark of the impact Kultida Woods forged on the record-breaking career of her son, Tiger, was provided by the fact the US President led the tributes after the 80-year-old unexpectedly died on Tuesday morning.

Like everyone who met her at tournaments, Donald Trump could not have failed to be struck by the mother’s importance, and not simply in her role as matriarch.

Tida, as everyone in the game and beyond knew her, did not command the spotlight in the manner of former husband Earl – the late veteran of the Vietnam war who, with his special services training oversaw and largely guided the rise of the Tiger icon.

But she was a constant presence in the background and her contribution towards the astonishing ripping up of the ancient game’s record books (not to mention the demolition of so many barriers) should not be underestimated, especially in the year after Earl’s death in 2006.

Naturally, Woods mentioned the Thai’s influence in his poignant announcement on social media. “My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable,” he wrote. “She was quick with the needle and a laugh. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible.”

Last year, Woods explained her significance in the garlanded storyline. “My mom doesn’t get enough credit,” Woods said when accepting a lifetime award at the US Open. “Everyone thought that it was my dad when I went on the road, which it was, but Mom was at home. If you don’t know, Mom has been there my entire life. She’s always been there through thick and thin.”

It was apt that she was at the SoFi Center near to Tiger’s South Florida mansion last week, to watch his TGL team play against Rory McIlroy’s trio. Tiger shouted to Tida in the stands, “Hey mom, I promise not to suck this time” and although the indoor simulation league is nobody’s idea of a pressurised arena, she would have enjoyed his subsequent victory.

Tida had been there for so many, most notably perhaps when he achieved one of sport’s greatest comebacks at the 2019 Masters. Together with her grandchildren – Charlie and Sam – she hugged Woods in a touching family scene that in front of the cameras offered some redemption from the sex scandal which tore apart his world 10 years before.

Tida was also there in the front row in the room where Tiger, live on TV, delivered his excruciating mea culpa and she also helped pick up and mend the pieces following his arrest for DUI and his other issues in a fraught decade.

Tida would often be present when Woods reappeared in competition, and was always a warm and generous figure who would have a friendly word with a familiar face. However, there was also the occasional barb that withered the odd journalist who she believed had overstepped the mark.

Yet there was far more than merely the protective motherly instinct or simply being who Woods called his “rock”. He has always been quick to highlight the unique home environment that assisted in an unprecedented development that in 1997, a year when he won at Augusta by eight strokes and so become the Masters’s youngest winner.

If Earl was the bad cop, challenging the boy at every turn to express his superiority as an athlete not just between the shoulder blades but more notably between the ears, Tida was the calm but tough confidante, ready to provide wise counsel as well as pluck any sign of ego.

A practising Buddhist, Woods credits Tida’s religion with teaching him breathing exercises from the faith that helped keep him in the moment. She introduced Tiger to the fundamentals of mindfulness and meditation at a young age, instilling in him a sense of inner balance.

Woods affectionately called her “the enforcer” and revealed it was Tida who invariably performed the hard yards, shuttling him to many of his junior tournaments. Yet maybe her most famous endowment to the legend was that she gave him the idea of using red as his “power colour” for those last rounds on a Sunday.

At just 5ft, wearing her wide-brimmed hat, she was a hugely respected figure. Her personal history as a secretary at a Thailand military base where she first met Earl, there on secondment as a green beret in the US Army, only added to her allure and the family’s mystique.

“She was loved by so many,  but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie,” Woods said. “Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom.”