After watching him win 12 Majors over a decade as a professional, we have not been very well acquainted with Woods the man.

But he chose to open up a little on Tuesday during his news conference at the AT&T National, the PGA Tour event he is hosting this week at Congressional Country Club.

It was his first public appearance since the arrival of his daughter, Sam Alexis, on June 18.

He revealed the startling fact that he played the entire US Open two weeks ago despite knowing that his wife, Elin, was hospitalised with complications.

As he answered questions, the world's top golfer came across as a proud, wonder-struck new father.

He related a conversation he had with his wife on their first night together with their baby.

'How can you love something so much that didn't exist the day before?' he said.

He joked when he was asked at what age he would put a golf club in his daughter's hands.

'Well, it's already happened,' he said, as the room erupted in laughter. 'She couldn't quite hold it, but it was there.'

He described a sleepless routine of round-the-clock feedings and hands-on diaper-changing, and his guilt at leaving his family to play in his tournament. 'Last night was kind of interesting, my first night away from home,' he said.

He offered a small, little-known fact about his relationship with the father he adored, Earl Woods, who died of cancer a year ago.

He explained that his daughter's name was an old nickname his father had given him as a boy.

'My father had always called me Sam since the day I was born.'

He asked his father, 'Why don't you ever call me Tiger?'

'Well, you look more like a Sam,' Earl said.

For a few brief minutes, you saw a regular guy sharing the common experience of new fatherhood. But, ultimately, of course, Woods is nothing close to a regular guy.

He had the icy coolness to play four days of championship golf with his pregnant wife hospitalised.

Once she and her doctor assured him she was not in danger, Woods maintained his concentration and came within a stroke of winning, tying for second.

At one point, a reporter asked Woods what his expectations were in this week's tournament, given the fact that he has a new baby.

'Same,' Woods said curtly. 'That hasn't changed.'

LOS ANGELES TIMES