Does Tiger Woods' Past Hold Clues to Explain His Philandering?

Dec. 16, 2009— -- From the time a 9-month-old Tiger Woods first picked up a golf club, to the time he won his 12th major at age 30, he and his father Earl Woods were virtually inseparable -- each man describing the other as his "best friend."

They were, however, not together early on the morning of May 2, 2006 when Earl, 74, died in a hospice in California. Tiger reportedly spent that evening in the bed of one of his many purported paramours, a lingerie model named Jamie Jungers.

In light of Woods' recent troubles -- a career, marriage and legacy marred by allegations of affairs with more than a dozen different women – many observers have wondered if anything in the golfer's early life hinted at his future "infidelities."

A source close to Woods' wife Elin Nordegren, told ABC News.com that a "divorce is 100 percent on."

"She's not rushing to divorce, however," said the source. "She's going to take her sweet time. She wants all the dirty laundry to be out on the table before she signs anything."

People magazine has also reported that the couple now plans to split.

In numerous interviews Woods, 34, has praised his parents for encouraging his interest in golf, honing a naturally competitive drive, and helping him focus his concentration.

Some have suggested that Woods had a difficult time coping with his father's death and began cheating on wife Elin Nordegren as a result, perhaps seeking to fill that void in his life.

In a statement following Earl's death Woods called his father "an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend," adding, "I wouldn't be where I am today without him."

But many of the women who have admitted to affairs with the golfer – including Jungers – say their dalliances began well before Earl's death.

"Tiger and Earl were incredibly close and his father's death must have been a severe emotional blow, but there is little to suggest that his father's death participated in his philandering," said Larry Londino, a broadcasting professor at Montclair University and author of "Tiger Woods: A Biography."

"If anything it appears he was doing it before Earl's death," he said.

As a teenager, Woods dated one girl, Dina Gravell, for three years, through high school and into his freshman year at Stanford.