I got a lot of letters and answered a lot of letters after what happened. Was there anything I could do to help people in a similar situation? And what was I going to do with my life? What would Renay want me to do? I knew she would want me to be happy, and being happy meant having a family and children.
Do you stay in touch with Renay’s parents?
Yes. The Whites. John and Colleen. Also with their son, Stuart, and daughter Duean. We call and e-mail when we can. Renay had a wicked sense of humor, and that no doubt helped the Whites get through what happened. As a parent now, I can imagine how terrible it would be to lose a child. When I first brought Ashley there, it was tough. Had to be tough for them to see me with another woman. But they’ve been great.
Did you date anybody between Renay and Ashley?
Photo: Getty Images
Not really. I don’t know that I even looked at another woman. First Christmas, first Valentine’s Day, family birthdays without her. Those were tough. But somebody always has it worse. There’s no formula. People say “move on,” but what does that mean? The answer doesn’t come in a book. Ashley certainly was a huge part of my getting on with life. We got married in December of ’02, about a year after her first trip to Australia. She was there for Christmas in ’01. Her family and my family. Ashley was very patient. She knew what I’d been through. Renay was such a part of my evolutionary life. A dynamic period, and she was there all the time.
Renay was patient, too.
Absolutely. She was a golfer in Australia, and we didn’t hit it off that well at first. But she came with me to the States as my caddie, my soulmate, and never left.
Here’s a story for you. After I won my second Nike event, in Sonoma [Calif.], we went out with Jerry Kelly and his wife, and John Maginnes and his wife. We went up to the wine country after the tournament, in early October. Who do we see one morning up there but Johnnie Cochran. He’s at the Opus One place. I remember seeing him on the telephone. He looked very chuffed. That’s Australian for “pleased.” You know—the cat that just ate the canary. Something very important, something very good, was happening to Johnnie Cochran. I’d love to have listened to that conversation, but I know, right after that, the verdict was announced. I won the tournament on Oct. 1. The next day we go to the wine country. And on Oct. 3, the jury came to a decision: O.J. Simpson, Cochran’s client, not guilty.
As you assess your career, is it a blessing or curse to play in Tiger’s era?
Without him around, we’d all have a chance to win more tournaments. He’s cost all of us. All those trophies in his house would be in other houses. But we wouldn’t be playing for $5 million and $6 million every week. So I’m very grateful. We should all be thankful.
What’s with the new putting grip?
Looks like two lobsters making love, if I can say that in a respectable publication such as yours. To get my left hand out of it, I moved it to where my left thumb and index finger are around my right wrist. Haven’t seen it anywhere else and haven’t given it a name yet. But “Two Lobsters Mating” probably wouldn’t be a good idea, would it? Don’t imagine I’d get extra FedEx Cup points for that.
This is the 122nd Golf Digest Interview in a series that dates to 1991.
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