Revealed: REAL Reason Tiger Woods Broke His Silence on Dating Vanessa Trump By Posting Mushy Instagram Message

Tiger Woods had hoped to keep his new relationship with Vanessa Trump a secret for the time being, RadarOnline.com can reveal, however as the truth came out, he decided to try to jump ahead of the reaction.

The golfer officially went public with Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-wife after the two were spotted together in Florida recently.

Vanessa, 47, and Woods, 49, were spotted arriving together at the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in California in February.

The gossip wheel began to turn almost immediately. And as the two grew closer, their inner circle grew larger – especially among the parents at the pricey Benjamin School in Palm Beach, where both send their children.

A source close to the cozy couple told the Daily Mail the tiger was out of the bag: "Benjamin is like a small community, and there's nothing that rich people like to do more than gossip about each other.

"Frankly, I'm surprised that it was secret for so long."

But it wasn't for a lack of trying. Woods and Vanessa worked hard to keep their romance under wraps, as they avoided being seen in public and resisted telling their friends.

"He knew it would be a huge story when it came out, and he didn't exactly love it," the insider admitted. "But obviously Tiger dating a Trump is always going to make headlines, which is exactly what he wanted to avoid."

Woods was the one to break the story of his new romance himself – going "Insta Official" by posting two photos of him and Vanessa. One snap showed them posing side-by-side, while the next captured them cuddling together on a hammock.

He wrote alongside the official announcement: "Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side!

"We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts."

It was the first time either had spoken publicly about their relationship though the two were said to be getting serious for some time before.

An insider said: "They have a lot in common. They've both gotten used to public scrutiny. They both know how to keep their private life private. They're both parents."

Woods and Vanessa started out as friends before taking things to the next level, according to the source.

"They're a good match; they're level-headed, they like to avoid drama, they share a lot of the same values,” our insider added – also saying Woods has “always tried to date girls who just weren’t right for him.”

Vanessa was married to Donald Jr. from 2005 to 2018. The exes share five kids: Kai, 17; Donald III, 16; Tristan, 13; Spencer, 12; and Chloe, 10.

Woods, for his part, has two children with his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren. They divorced in 2010 following the golfer's explosive cheating scandal.

The respective exes not only know about the relationship, they also approve. One Trump insider shared: "(Don) knows that his father (President Trump) respects Tiger and how well they get along, so he’s fully supportive.

"He has obviously dated other people since their split so as long as Tiger treats Vanessa and their kids with respect, he's good with it."

Woods broke the news to his ex Nordegren sometime in late December or early January, but her initial reaction was complete disbelief.

A source who is reportedly friends with both Woods and Nordegren said the two sat down to talk about it: "It was a pleasant, almost friendly conversation."

They added: "Her response at first was like 'Seriously? A Trump? For real?"

The friend also said Nordegren, 45, was "more amused than anything. But she really quickly just accepted it."