By James Patterson
Little, Brown and Company (2024)
Hatchette Book Group
439 pages
There is little question that James Patterson is one of the most prolific and successful writers globally. He has proven himself a master storyteller, as demonstrated by an array of bestsellers.
His latest endeavour involves outlining the life of Tiger Woods.
Since coming onto the scene – starting as early as a two-year-old when appearing on the Mike Douglas television show along with luminaries Bob Hope and James Stewart in 1978 – Woods has achieved a global stature, beyond sports, only a select handful have ever approached.
The Patterson involvement chronicles the ascendancy of Woods, from literally nearly just out of the womb into golf superstar, to his blundering fall and return to prominence.
The rise, fall and rise again narrative approach is a common formula used by authors.
Given the range of past books and articles on the life and times of Tiger Woods the mere regurgitation of what happened in his life is a clear disappointment given the stature of Patterson and the marquee presence of the subject in question.
We already know what happened. What remains missing is the more salient point — why it happened?
That is the singular anchor that holds back the Patterson ship from truly sailing in a noteworthy and spellbinding manner.
One of the major handicaps for Patterson was the inability to get Woods to be interviewed. Since a clear self-imposed fumble when interviewed by a Gentleman’s Quarterly writer as his professional career was just getting started, Woods has always viewed the media with a walls up protective approach. Whatever words he states are parsed in providing as little information as possible.
It’s important to remember Woods was ever mindful of his leverage and demonstrated it when mandating during an interview in 2006 on 60 Minutes with interviewer Ed Bradley how questions would be limited to certain agreed upon topics. Interestingly, the highly successful program did not countenance world leaders’ demands but did to snare Tiger.
Patterson’s considerable power as a successful writer clearly prompts readers to wonder does this book penetrate and go where no writer has gone before?
The answer is no.
The book has moments where probing analysis is hinted at but never really aggressively pursued. One sees pivotal specific individuals enter the Woods world – Hughes Norton his first agent; Mike “Fluff” Cowan his first pro caddie; Butch Harmon his first prominent teacher; followed by his second notable instructor in Hank Haney; Steve Williams his long-time caddie during the prime years of Tiger’s career and even his former wife Elin Nordegren.
The role people such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley played with Tiger are also mentioned but only in passing.
What we don’t get is a more thorough analysis on how each of these figures assessed their intersection with Woods and how many of them were summarily pushed out in due course.
Patterson interjects enough public information but there’s little real digging beyond what’s been in the public realm for a number of years. When plunking down $32.99 for such a book – you expect more.
In that regard, the book disappoints.
Those who know little of the Tiger Woods story will find the Patterson effort worthy to read. The clarity of the prose is present and the totality of the dominance Woods demonstrated in professional golf is undoubtedly a powerful story even when retold.
But for those who have followed Tiger closely the Patterson book only remains in the shallow end of the pool. The deep water is rarely treaded and when it’s provided comes only in limited quantities.
It’s important to remember the Woods story captured worldwide attention from a very early age.
The expectations were considerable and the phenom not only met expectations but exceeded them in a number of ways.
Hs skills with his golf clubs were seen in his amateur years – winning six USGA championships (three consecutive Junior titles and three consecutive Amateur titles) before turning professional in 1996.
When Woods entered the professional ranks, the belief was that success would come but only after a period of time. Tiger fast-tracked matters in leveling the competition. Winning his first major title in 1997 at the Masters with a record12-shot victory and doing so as the youngest winner of the green jacket at age 21 years and 104 days.
Patterson captures the tsunami of Woods dominance in the sport in a chronological formula. During Tiger’s superlative rise there was the false narrative Woods had cultivated in being the quintessential family man and that his marriage to Nordegren was the bedrock of his rise.
The fraudulence was amazing for its breadth and audacity in thinking it could continue indefinitely.
In a stunning development that amazingly has faded from view through the years, the life of Woods was upended with a massive self-implosion stemming from numerous illicit affairs over a period of years. The “image” of Woods disintegrated in the grandest of stages but Patterson fails to go beyond a regurgitation of what is already in the public domain.
A clear deception was carried out in a premeditated fashion by Woods. One finds it hard to imagine Patterson could not avail himself of various experts to inquire from them how they viewed the situation Woods had certainly caused. The same can be said on interviews with a number of the aforementioned people who were close to Tiger at different intervals of his life.
While Patterson is highly successful as a writer his failure to back-up the sub headline of the book – “His life (Woods) as it’s never been told before” — mandates an investigative journalist fully skilled in going beyond the low hanging fruit and illuminating the shadows that still remain to be flushed out into daylight.
Personal direct interviews are the staple in what takes a quality effort into a real page turner. News of note beyond what’s already known is a crucial missing element here.
In the book, Patterson does mention how personal loyalty is only favored by Woods when the people involved show him the courtesy but rarely get the same effort in reverse.
Patterson does well in outlining the role Earl and Tida, Tiger’s parents, and how they shaped him. The parents provided specific elements that Woods skillfully fused together during his adult years.
There is also the desire by Woods to sacrifice his body, and the more important time clock in golf, in seeking to follow in his father’s footsteps in the military via special forces. Patterson ably provides the overview but adding context through interviewing those who saw Woods up close in this effort would have added perspectives that have only been touched upon in a limited manner previously.
At age 48 Woods is no longer competitive at the elite level. Tiger has stated numerous times he only enters tournaments because he believes he can still win and remain relevant.
Denial remains front and center with Woods.
To paraphrase Hall-of-Fame football coach Bill Parcells – “you are what your golf scores say you are.”
Tiger’s last win came in 2019 when capturing his fifth Masters title and 15th major championship. He remains an off-course presence now in shaping the future of the PGA Tour and its rival LIV Golf. There is also the possibility Woods may opt for a competitive presence when turning 50 and becoming eligible for the Champions Tour.
The competitive fire remains intact and may need another stage to rekindle itself.
However, the glaring reality is that the definitive book on the life of Tiger Woods remains to be written. Like an elusive tiger in the jungle – capturing that prey will require a skillset that only the most gifted of storyteller hunters can demonstrate.
To use a golfer’s vernacular – Patterson scores a par with Tiger, Tiger, but a birdie is what was needed for a more meaningful effort.
Related: Leading coach Daniel Grieve releases first short game book
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