Sports Illustrated writer Bob Harig, formerly of ESPN and The Tampa Bay Times spoke to Bill-Mike about his new book DRIVE The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods - The 2019 Masters golf tournament became the defining moment of just what a comeback is - both in sports and in life.
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ABOUT BOB HARIG AND DRIVE
The 2019 Masters golf tournament became the defining moment of just what a comeback is - both in sports and in life.
Over two-and-a-half decades ago the sports world in general, and the golf establishment in particular, was struck by a bolt of lightning, the likes of which they never dreamed. Twenty-one-year-old wunderkind Tiger Woods won the most prestigious golf tournament in the world, The Masters, by a record twelve strokes and breaking the course record.in his first time playing the tournament.and in his first appearance in a major tournament. He was the youngest golfer to win The Masters, and the first African-American or Asian-American player to win a major. As Bob Harig reports in his new book, DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods (St. Martin's Press, on sale date March 26, 2024; $30), history wasn't just made that day, rather, it was only just beginning.
Over the next 15+ years Woods transformed the game, setting course records and winning majors at a record pace. What he was doing, though, was more than just winning on the golf course. He was winning fans over like no one had ever done before in golf. In doing so, ratings were never higher, marketing the game was never more so successful. He is tied for the most wins in PGA history, second in major tournament victories, and according to Forbes magazine, he is a billionaire who amassed over $110 million dollars in tour winnings along with over a billion dollars in endorsement money.
Winnings and notoriety aside, as Harig points out, Woods is a complicated figure, and has been throughout his entire career in the spotlight. Some of his more notorious moments:
. Woods' mysterious accident just yards from his driveway in November of 2009 leads to reports of extramarital affairs
. May 2017, Woods is arrested after he was found by police asleep in his car on the side of the road
. 2017 severe back injuries that resulted in spinal fusion surgery that Woods feared would be career ending
. February 2021, Woods is badly injured when the car he was operating rolled over in Los Angeles
. Extensive leg surgery and rehabilitation following the LA roll over crash
Despite the many difficult health issues he's had to endure and overcome in 2017, Woods's enormous drive and determination led him to a comeback for the ages. From 2018 into 2019 he painstakingly worked his way back from surgery to the course. This amazing comeback culminated 22 years after his 1997 breakthrough victory in The Masters with his 15th major title on the hallowed grounds at Augusta. As he approached the 18th green on the last day the crowds following him, chanting his name, spoke of the legend of the game he was. When the final put dropped in the cup CBS' Jim Nantz said it best, "The return to glory."
As Bob Harig writes in DRIVE, those four days in April 2019 Woods made history again bringing together all the qualities that ultimately make up someone who not only is an enduring figure in sports but a uniquely gifted athlete whose drive to succeed transcends all the greats. No one would have ever thought Tiger Woods would rise to the top again after all he had endured.
Some of the most fascinating aspects of Woods' career are highlighted by Bob Harig, including:
. 2024 marks the 5th anniversary of tiger's epic victory at Augusta National, the 15th major title and 5th Masters win of his career
. Remarkably, he won the Masters in 2019 after several years battling back from various health maladies including spinal fusion surgery
. The path to that possibly-career-ending surgery was fraught with pain and took him to London and Texas to eventually find relief
. Prior to the amazing 2019 Masters win, Woods returned in 2018 less than a year from that surgery and played a remarkable 20 times around the world, winning the Tour Championship and twice contending in major championships
. More so than the remarkable 2019 Masters comeback win, another great comeback - though not resulting in victory outright - saw Woods return just 14 months after a horrific car crash that could have taken his life, and nearly cost him his right leg, play in the Masters and make the cut
. When Woods played in the 2023 Masters, and made the cut again, it meat he tied the record for most consecutive made cuts at the Masters - it also marked the last time he played in 2023
. At the 2020 Masters, playing the final round and well out of contention, Woods made his highest-ever score on a hole: a 10 on the par-3 12th. He then birdied five of the last six holes
. In 2019, Woods won the inaugural ZOZO Championship, the first event sanctioned by the PGA Tour in Japan.
. That event in Japan was his first after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery only 2 months prior and was Woods' 82nd - and to this point - final win on the PGA Tour, tying him with Sam Snead for the all-time record
. The 2010 Masters, where Woods finished 4th, was not only the first tournament he played in that year, but also was one he played in with the sting of the late 2009 infidelity scandal that made worldwide headlines hanging over his head
. From 1998 to 2005, Woods did not miss a single 36-hole cut, a record 142 consecutive tournaments on the PGA Tour, surpassing the record of 113 by Byron Nelson
. In the modern era no other player has approached even half that total of consecutive cuts made
. Tiger Woods Masters fact that is often forgotten: in his first Masters (which was his first major championship), he overcame a round one front nine total of 40 to win by 12 strokes
. This book takes a deep dive into Woods' drive to be the best, showing it was achieved by way more than just pure skill
. Tiger Woods by the #'s: 15 major titles (2nd all time); 82 Tour wins (tied for 1st all time); and more than 600 weeks ranked as the #1 player in the world
In this captivating and emotional portrait of one of the most famous figures in sports, Bob Harig brings readers the true story of the grit and perseverance of Tiger Woods in the final years of his career. This book takes a deep dive into Woods' true legacy, one of resolve and redemption.
ABOUT BOB HARIG
Sports Illustrated writer Bob Harig, formerly of ESPN and The Tampa Bay Times, has covered Tiger Woods since the very beginning of his career and has had dozens of one-on-one interviews with him. He holds degrees in journalism and history from Indiana University and is an active member of the Golf Writer's Association of Americas (GWAA). He lives in Florida.