'I don't think his private life will diminish the respect and admiration Tiger receives for his unique abilities as a golfer,' Chu said. 'The fact that he is half-Asian has made him such a great ambassador for the sport in this part of the world and I think Tiger's name will continue to resonate with golfers in China.'

Edward Thangarajah, the former sports editor and still columnist of the Bangkok Post, penned a strongly worded column headlined, 'When Will the Humiliation End?', defending the 33-year-old whose mother, Kultida, was born in Thailand.

'It was only a storm in a tea cup,' Thangarajah wrote. 'Only the accident and the heroic manner [in which] Tiger Woods' wife Elin smashed open the car to release her husband really matter. Beyond that, it is strictly a private matter between a husband and wife.'

In 2001, during his first trip to China, Woods described himself as 'predominantly Asian because the majority of my blood is Asian'. He added that because he was raised mostly by his mother, Asian culture was the one that he felt 'at peace with'. He is also a Buddhist.

When he came to Bangkok in 2000 to play the Johnnie Walker Classic - which he won - Woods was offered Thai citizenship, but politely declined. It seems from that point on, the kingdom gave up hope of claiming him as its own.

The 69-year-old Kultida was born near Bangkok of mixed Thai (50 per cent), Chinese (25 per cent) and Dutch (25 per cent) ancestry. Some media outlets report a bitter rift between Kultida and his son's wife, Elin, claiming that Tiger's mother even covered up what he now famously describes as his 'transgressions'. Making matters worse were his plans to build a house for his mother alongside the mansion he shares with Elin and their children, Sam and Charlie.

In certain parts of Thai society, having a mistress - or a 'minor wife' who openly co-exists alongside the 'major wife' - is tolerated. However, when the number of affairs approaches or exceeds double figures, that is obviously unacceptable for married men in almost any culture.

But what is causing more outrage across Thailand than Woods' behaviour is the graphic and relentless reporting of his alleged liaisons by the western media. Slowly but surely, the winner of 71 PGA titles is moving from villain to victim.

'Instead of feeling sorry for him, the newspapers have added fuel to the fire,' Thangarajah said. 'Instead of helping bring the family together in these difficult circumstances, they have aggravated the unhappiness by humiliating the star. What is most cruel and inhuman is the many scandalous stories [that] have been written.'

Even so, Woods' PR gurus face a challenging task of rebuilding his image in the United States. While letting it all hang out with tears and hugs on the Oprah Winfrey couch may help the process, he will still have to address the details of what really happened when he crashed his car in the early hours of November 27. His initial statement claiming 'false, unfounded and malicious rumours' is still displayed on his official website - along with more than 7,000 mostly scathing comments from bloggers.

But in Asia, some distance away from the epicentre of the seismic activity in his private life, the aura of Tiger Woods has barely been affected.

The reality is that next week Woods would be welcomed with open arms if he were to play a tournament in Asia, with no curly questions about texts, trysts or transgressions.