Tiger Woods is never coming “back” but this version is more entertaining

Watching Tiger Woods throw a few tantrums, kick his golf club, drop a few curse words and generally behave like a frustrated hack at sacred Augusta was easily more entertaining than watching him throw down a fist pump after making a 35-foot putt uphill.

It’s great theater watching Humility have her way with Tiger on a course. This level of forced humility, on the course, Tiger has to deal with now makes him more interesting to watch. The same guy that forced designers to tear up their courses now struggles for even par along with Bill Haas, Scott Stallings and everyone whose names you likely may not know.

Tiger Woods battles himself, Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. — As soon as you step to the first tee of a major golf championship, an entirely new nervous system takes control of your body. Unfortunately, it is often your old nervous system — even if you are Tiger Woods at the Masters.

The experience is especially traumatic if that previously ingrained motor memory was taught to you by your current nemesis: swing-guru turned tell-all author Hank (“The Big Miss,” available on Amazon) Haney.

Read more: washingtonpost.com

Betting on the the 2012 Masters

Pat Morrow, the Head Oddsmaker for Bovada.lv, sat down with Eye on Golf to answer questions about how Tiger Woods affects golf, how the Masters affects his business and what he thinks about the 2012 Masters tournament.

Eye on Golf: How much does Tiger Woods drive your business?

Morrow: Because our book is driven by a mostly North America customer base, Tiger and Phil Mickelson create more interest than any one else.. Every tournament we have a loss on Tiger Woods when he wins. That public perception does influence how we price him as more of a favorite than he should be.

Woods really draws that outside wagering for us. You hope he’s in contention but he doesn’t pull it out. It’s a fine line that we walk. He’s fantastic for us.

Eye on Golf: How has Tiger’s win at Bay Hill changed betting for the Masters this year?

Morrow: There’s that public perception that Tiger may or may not be back. Betting has really picked up since he won. We’re definitely seeing more money on the Masters.

Read more: CBSSports.com

Haney on Tiger: He doesn’t use PEDs

Tiger Woods and his people have objected vehemently to some of personal nuggets former swing coach Hank Haney included in his candid and controversial new book about his time with Tiger.

But if you ask me, Tiger worshippers should not be upset about what’s in the book. They should be relieved about what’s not in the book.

There’s nothing in the book’s 247 pages about Tiger ever taking performance-enhancing drugs. And that was the single-most important question I wanted to ask Haney during an interview on the Monday of Masters week.

“No, I don’t believe Tiger ever did [performance-enhancing drugs],” said Haney, whose book The Big Miss is one of the most intriguing portraits of sports greatness since John Feinstein wrote a A Season on the Brink about Bob Knight. “Tiger works out in the gym like you wouldn’t believe. His physical therapist for a long time was a very good friend of mine for over 25 years and has always been clean as a whistle.”

Read more: orlandosentinel.com

Tiger Woods and Mike Tyson share common legacy

Most sporting lives are one-act affairs.

A kid learns the game. He’s better than most. He makes it to the bigs. He plays for as long as his body will permit, and then he withers and slips away. Whatever is left to him of an athletic existence is the thin vapour of a TV gig or a job in coaching.

The full dramatic arc — all three acts — is exceedingly rare. The middle usually involves some sort of toss-out-whatever-isn’t-bolted-down nose-dive into calamity. There are precious few survivors after that sort of crash.

Read More: thestar.com

Tiger Woods a winner again on PGA tour after 30 months

ORLANDO, FLA. — Tiger Woods finally brought the buzz back to the very thing that made him famous – winning.

Two weeks after another injury scare, and two days before his former coach’s book goes on sale, Woods looked dominant as ever in that red shirt on Sunday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Read More: ClarionLedger.com

You didn’t expect this from Tiger?

A celebratory high-five with his caddie before he ever got to the green. More happiness than most galleries have witnessed since a sex scandal ripped apart his life and helped take down his game.

The only thing missing on the best day Tiger Woods has had in the last 30 months was a huge sigh of relief.

He knew this day was coming even when his drives were going sideways and his putts weren’t even scaring the hole. Knew it even when fans around the world were deserting him, sickened by tales of his philandering.

Read more: Post-Gazette.com

Tiger gets testy with reporters over Haney book

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A day after Tiger Woods‘ agent strongly criticized an excerpt from a book about his client, Woods on Wednesday deflected questions on the subject during a Honda Classic news conference that at times became contentious.

Portions of former coach Hank Haney’s book, “The Big Miss,” were released this week, prompting Woods’ longtime agent, Mark Steinberg, to issue a statement rebuking Haney, especially regarding parts that pertained to the golfer’s admiration for the Navy SEALs and the military.

Read more from ESPN.com and SEE the video here

3.1.12

According to Hank Haney, Tiger Woods nearly quit golf to become a Navy SEAL

Wait…what?

This may be the most unbelievable item you will read today, but according to an excerpt from Hank Haney’s new book, the Tiger Woods tell-all The Big Miss, Eldrick contemplated giving up his golf career to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the prestigious Navy SEALS.  Tiger’s late father Earl was a Green Beret who served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

Here’s what Haney said about Woods wanting to join the Navy’s elite unit…

“Tiger was seriously considering becoming a Navy SEAL. I didn’t know how he’d go about it, but when he talked about it, it was clear he had a plan….I thought, Wow, here is Tiger Woods, greatest athlete on the planet, maybe the greatest athlete ever, right in the middle of his prime, basically ready to leave it all behind for a military life.”

 

Read more from yardbarker.com

2.29.12

Tiger Woods ‘feeling explosive’ heading into PGA Tour

Reporting from Pebble Beach — Tiger Woods, wearing a windbreaker and answering questions both humorously and seriously, spoke nearly 1,540 words of insight about his own game and that of his amateur playing partner this week at the AT&T National Pro-Am, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo.

Woods, who finished first in his last tournament of 2011, his own event at the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club, and third two weeks ago at a European Tour event in Abu Dhabi, makes his 2012 PGA Tour debut Thursday at Pebble Beach.

He comes back to the PGA Tour this season in a better physical state and in a better frame of mind, Woods said.

“I took a little time off and then when I went over to Abu Dhabi, I was working on the same things, on what I had been trying to do the last four events. It was very positive and everything is headed in the right direction.”

Read more from LATimes.com

2.8.12