The Second Life of Tiger Woods, by Michael Bamberger ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When one of the finest golf writers working today has a new book out, it pays to take notice. Michael Bamberger, formerly of Sports Illustrated and lately writing for Golf.com is, without a doubt, one of the best to carry a GWAA card in recent years, and his new book, The Second Life of Tiger Woods, certainly lives up to expectations.

Tiger Woods has lived in the spotlight (and under a microscope) nearly all of his life, and certainly since exploding onto the professional golf scene in 1997 after a dominating amateur career. There have been times when his life didn’t hold up to close scrutiny, in particular the several years beginning Thanksgiving evening 2009, when the news of his long-rumored infidelities came to light in blockbuster fashion. Through it all, however, his fans and much of the sports media world have clung to every bit of Tiger news that came to light, good and bad.

That being the case, The Second Life of Tiger Woods is going to be flying off of bookstore shelves, both real and virtual, and Michael Bamberger will be richly rewarded for the countless hours he must have put into researching and writing this book. The book’s release was timed to coincide with the opening of play at the 2020 Masters Tournament, when Tiger would be defending his 2019 win—a tournament that wasn’t played due to the nationwide lockdown that resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. The cancellation of Tiger’s defense of his fifth Masters title did nothing to damp the fervor of his fans, or the golf media, however; indeed, it raised it to a fever pitch, and Bamberger’s publishers may well find themselves thanking their lucky stars for the lockdown.

At this point I need to come straight out and say that I am no fan of Tiger Woods. While there is no denying his skill, and his dominance when he was both healthy (physically and mentally) and playing well, I have never cared for his attitude, and his demeanor either on or off the course. I bring this up for two reasons: 1) despite my dislike for the man who is the subject of this book, his position in the game combined with my admiration for the work of the author compelled me to read it, and 2) the author’s attitude toward the subject plays an important role in the book.

The tone of the book ranges from near-fanboyish admiration (when recounting Woods’ 2019 Master win) to tut-tutting admonishment (when listing the several instances of rule-bending and breaking which featured in the period of his “comeback”), but one constant factor is the thorough, in-depth investigative reporting that backs up the narrative.

Bamberger spent time with and interviewed a wide range of people who have or had some involvement in the events covered in the book—from the Jupiter, Florida law-enforcement personnel who were involved in Woods’ Memorial Day 2017 arrest for DUI, to the assorted cast of sordid low-lifes who fed his PED habit over the years.

The topics covered include a look back at Woods’ upbringing, at his parents (both pretty hard cases in their own ways) and the manner in which his early-life experiences manifested themselves in his golf career and personal life. The things he learned, and reports, and the conclusions he draws may not suit Tiger’s fawning fans, but there is no contesting the professionalism of his approach.

Woods has always been known for a dismissive attitude toward other people in his life, even those who are close to him, as manifested by the diminutive nicknames he assigns to other—“Steiny”, for his agent, Mark Steinberg; “Stevie”, for former caddie Steve Williams (a tough Kiwi who was probably never called “Stevie” by anyone but Woods, even as a child); “Joey” for current caddie Joe LaCava—and even “Bernie” for veteran pro and former Masters Champion Bernhard Langer.

He is also known for having a low tolerance for those, even members of his inner circle, who try to draw some part of the spotlight to themselves—just ask his former swing gurus Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, and Sean Foley; caddies Steve Williams and Mike “Fluff” Cowan; or former girlfriend Lindsey Vonn. Even his father, Earl, was cold-shouldered at times, early in Woods’ career when he pushed his face and words too close the forefront.

Woods has always had a famously contentious relationship with the golf media. When he was only fourteen he asked the sportswriter Jaime Diaz, “Why do they have to know everything?”,  and early in his rise through the professional ranks an interview request from Dan Jenkins—the dean of American golf writers, and a man who got into the Golf Hall of Fame on the strength of his writing before Woods got there by dint of his playing record—was dismissed, through Woods’ agent, with a terse, “There’s nothing in it for us.”

In the wake of several years of scandals and headlines that probably caused the intensely private Woods a lot of mental anguish that he wouldn’t admit to (and which, if I may say so, he brought on himself), he has thawed slightly in his attitude toward the media. Woods may have finally, as Bamberger put it, “…started to see sportswriters for what we are; representatives of the fans who pay for [his] jet fuel and everything else…”. That being said, you will not find a direct quote from Woods, given for this book, in the text.

Whatever your feelings about Woods are, the book is an interesting read. Michael Bamberger is a keen and well-connected observer of the world of golf, and he brings a depth of knowledge and understanding to the subject that is virtually unparalleled. As a chronicle of a significant (in its way) period of time in the career of one of the most recognizable professional athletes of the 20th century, The Second Life of Tiger Woods is a noteworthy addition to the history of the game of golf, and will find an audience across a wide range of the fans of the game.