Project Tiger - by Gavin Newsham (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The inside story of young Tiger Woods' training for greatness, developing the unique traits that would not only help him achieve the pinnacle of success but also ingrain the personal flaws that brought him crashing down.

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods was transcendent, ultimately eclipsing superstar athlete status to becoming a global household name. Yet his story remains enigmatic. In Project Tiger, veteran golf journalist Gavin Newsham uncovers the answers, providing a portrait of the greatest golfer ever as a young man, a rendering that refines and deepens our understanding of his character and legacy.

Tiger's mother Kultida nurtured him, keeping him focused, but no one was more instrumental in sculpting him as a golfer and as a man than his father. With Tiger swinging golf clubs before his first birthday, Earl Woods took the mantle as drill sergeant coach, coldly imposing his "Project Tiger" goals to lead his son to sports stardom.

Following these intense expectations, Tiger grew up with fear and obsession. Fear that any childhood injury could ruin his life, but obsessive fuel to be the best. Even at age six, Tiger lasted only fifteen minutes at the LA Open watching others play before he begged to leave and find somewhere he could practice. As he got older and impatient, he snuck onto golf courses, including the ultra-exclusive Cypress Point Golf Club, to play a few holes before being thrown off. By the time he made his pro debut at twenty years old, the chaotic crowd and media blitz engulfed him, and it included racism more hostile than any other living athlete has endured. And with Tiger's rapid ascension also emerged entitlement and arrogance. He learned to ignore people who were no longer valuable to him, such as abruptly sacking his first agent soon after he signed deals worth $60 million.

Gavin Newsham leaves no stone unturned as he shares these behind-the-scenes stories from Tiger's coaches, rivals, golf role models, and even girlfriends to chart his spectacular amateur rise and dominant triumph along with the warning signs of scandal and monumental downfall decades later. Only in Project Tiger can you witness the exhilaration and the consequences that history's most sensational golf prodigy's achieving greatness brings.

Review Quotes

"A searing indictment of Tiger Woods's father."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Even before his iconic 'Hello World' debut, Tiger Woods was a golf prodigy unlike any other. Newsham does a brilliant job exploring the formative years of the young phenom, from his televised debut at age two to his unprecedented run of six consecutive USGA amateur titles to turning pro in 1996 and immediately reshaping the sport in his image. This book goes deep on all of it: a unique father-son relationship; Tiger's rare mental fortitude; and once-in-a-lifetime golf dominance. This is a chance to better understand the birth of greatness."
--Alan Shipnuck, 13x GWAA award-winning journalist and bestselling golf author of Phil and Rory

"The highs and lows of Tiger Woods' professional golf life--the 15 majors and 82 PGA Tour wins along with the multiple injuries and off-course controversies--are well chronicled. What's far less well-known--or appreciated--is how Tiger developed into that superstar/flawed individual. In Project Tiger, Gavin Newsham offers a well-reported look at the most influential period in Woods' life and expert insight into the people around Tiger and how they shaped him into the champion he became."
--Ryan Herrington, Managing Editor at Golf Digest

"Tiger Woods remains the leading personality in the world of golf. Extraordinary playing success provided a platform that led to him becoming one of the game's most enduring and significant influencers. How it all began is a story that provides vital insight. In Project Tiger, Gavin Newsham supplies a diligent, informed and entertaining account of how the fledgling Woods was molded into one of the greatest figures sport has ever known."
--Iain Carter, BBC Golf Correspondent and author of Golf Wars

About the Author

Gavin Newsham has written about golf for more than two decades. He is the founder of Golf Punk magazine, has served as a contributing editor at Golf Monthly, and is the author of multiple books. His biography of golfer John Daly, Letting the Big Dog Eat, was longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and earned him the National Sporting Club Book Award for Best New Writer. Newsham's writing on golf has appeared in Golf Digest, New York Post, Guardian, GQ, The Sunday Times, and Golf World, among numerous other publications.