Free Book Summary - Tiger Woods

Posted on 1/19/2023, 9:27:07 AM

Key Insights

Tiger Woods is a name that comes to mind when discussing golf. 

But, because of unfortunate events in his life, his name also comes up when the topic of infidelity arises. 

When Woods was under scrutiny for his marital problems, he decided to take a break from his golfing career to deal with these issues. 

However, Woods is back in the spotlight to use his talent to gain success once again.

“As a human being, he might not have been lovable—or even likable—but as a performer, he possessed unsurpassed talents that he honed through a lifetime of practice. On Sunday afternoons, he shared his gifts with millions, enabling them to forget reality and vicariously experience thrills that were more exhilarating than anything felt in a church pew.”- Jeff Benedict & Armen Keteyian

In, “Tiger Woods” by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian you will learn if Woods has what it takes to make a total comeback. You will also discover what led him down that dark path in the first place.

Key Points

Tiger Woods Was Created To Be A Golf Legend

Tiger Woods was born in 1975. He started learning how to play golf at the age of two from watching his father Earl play. 

According to neuroscientists and their studies on child development, Wood’s early exposure to the game primed him for success. 

Even at just two years old, Woods spent two hours a day golfing. Earl was mighty impressed and even had a local reporter come to the golfing range to cover the story of his child. 

The reporter Jim Hill was impressed as well and invited Woods on his TV show where he predicted that Woods would be a golf pro.

Earl Was Overbearing and Controlling

Earl had high goals for Woods from a young age. And, he let everybody know. Earl was also not against shortcuts and non-traditional methods in order to ensure that Woods would be a golf star one day.

While growing up, Woods had only a couple of friends. Earl would not let him join team sports in school. Because golf was a solo sport, Earl made sure to keep Woods isolated. 

Woods had the best golf instructors in the business who helped him with his swing at no cost because of his talent, ambition, and previous success.

Earl did not take a traditional route when it came to fathering Woods. He would put him through mentally abusive tests calling him names and degrading him to ensure that he would remain tough throughout his life. One of the main reasons he put Woods through these tests was because the PGA had a history of racial bias. 

Earl believed that by Woods making it big in the golf world, which was a very “white” sport at the time, he would help solve the problem of racism in sports. 

Earl put too much pressure on his young son. It was a burden Woods could not handle. 

Tiger Woods Changed the Game of Golf

Throughout Woods’s life, the people around him knew that he would go pro. Everyone in the tournament world knew his name and his skills kept getting sharper and sharper with every swing. 

When Woods was 16-years-old he became the youngest person to participate in the PGA Tour Competition. 

And, when he was 18-years-old he won his first US Amateur Open. He was also the first African-American to win this tournament, as well. This made his father, Earl, push the race-card even further by comparing Woods to other famous black activists. Woods, however, was not interested in being an activist. 

Woods then attended Stanford University on a full golf scholarship where he studied economics for two years before deciding to be a pro-golfer. 

Woods was pressured by his parents to quit his education and go pro to earn money.

He became an official pro in 1996 and received endorsement deals from Nike and Titleist. He was worth more than $60 million before his first game as a pro-golfer.

Woods Got Into Trouble Outside of the Spotlight

Tiger Woods was a name that you heard over and over in the golf world. At the age of 21, he won his first Masters Tournament. Because of his quick success, he gained a lot of followers. 

At the age of 24, he won a Career Grand Slam, which means winning four big international tournaments. But, even with all his success Woods was never done practicing. He was never satisfied. He even asked his coach, Butch Harmon, to help him redesign his classic swing. 

A lot of Woods’s competition was intimidated by him because he was such a determined and ambitious player. His father had done his duty of preparing Wood’s mentally, but his mental mindset also got him into trouble behind the scenes.

Woods was making millions and with that came women who wanted a part of it. Despite having a family and kids, Woods pursued these women. 

In 2004, Woods married his lovely wife Elin Nordegren and from the outside, the couple looked happy and whole. However, that wasn’t so. Woods was having affairs left and right in hotels as well as his own home. 

Because Woods was so successful he acted as if he could behave without consequences. And because of his lack of affection from his parents and friends he led a reckless life searching for intimacy. 

When Things Start To Unravel

In the year 2009, The National Enquirer released an article on Woods’s secret affair with a nightclub manager named Rachel Uchitel. 

Reporters ate this story up and stalked Uchitel until they confirmed the affair. 

Woods denied the affair. He even set up a call between Uchitel and Elin to try to prove that nothing was happening between them. 

The night before Thanksgiving, Elin took a peek into Wood’s phone and found a text to Uchitel declaring his love. 

When Wood’s heard his wife crying, he woke up startled by his sleeping pill-induced sleep. He immediately got into his car to drive away from the scene but ended up crashing into his neighbor’s driveway.

The news of the crash was the buzz around the world. Woods had no choice but to fess up to all his affairs. Many women came forward, as well. That is when Woods decided to announce a break from golf. 

Woods was more publicized than the 9/11 attacks and became the cover of the New York Post for 21 days in a row. Because of this, he lost many of his endorsement deals. 

That’s when Woods decided he needed to take a look at his behaviors throughout the years. 

Tiger’s Treatment

In 2009, Woods admitted to being a sex addict and sought treatment to cure it. This was not surprising to professionals as many sex addicts come from childhoods with little affection and strict rules.

Earl also suffered with an addictive personality when it came to drinking, tobacco, and women. Woods inherited those vices. 

In August 2010, Woods and Elin divorced and he continued to play golf. However, he did not feel the same way about the sport. A big part of this is because his coach Hank Haney quit because of the one-sided relationship that he felt he and Woods had. Woods gave no interest to anyone but himself. 

Woods’s game was worse than it had ever been. He tried to overcompensate by practicing regular weight-lifting, but it had negative health consequences. 

In 2014, Woods had to endure three spinal surgeries which required recovery time and another break from the sport. 

Tiger’s Return

In November of 2017, Woods returned to the professional golf scene after a long hiatus. 

Right before his comeback, Woods had another scandal with an accident involving the abuse of painkillers. But, this time, instead of denying it, he took the blame right away and owned up to his mistake. He once again sought the help of professionals. 

After his hiatus, Woods took 9th out of 18 in his first golf game. His progress to be where he continued and he plans to play full-time. 

The people around him noticed his cold personality turn warmer and cheerier. Woods has become more engaged with his fans and following. 

Woods also has become a better father, spending more time with his children. He is working hard to be a respectable role model and a loving encourager to his offspring. 

The Main Take-Away

Tiger Woods is a living golf legend. He started his career at the age of two and was controlled by his overbearing father and forced to reach the top. However, his upbringing brought about destructive behavior later in life. Woods is now working hard to change his image, while still improving his game.

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