Tiger Woods: The Making of a Champion by Tim Rosaforte

Synopsis: The biography of Tiger Woods becoming a pro golfer.

Writing Style: Journalistic.

Pacing: Moderately fast.

Premise: A conventional inside scoop on how professional champions are made… and regarded.

Personal Highlights: What I most appreciated was Rosaforte’s comfortable writing; what made reading Tiger’s biography on his rise to a champion golfer easy, despite how little I know about ‘the game.’

In this bio there were several games being played on one roll. First there is Tiger and his natural gift, accelerated by the role his parents played in his life, particularly his father. I loved that part, from how Tiger got his name, to a child sitting in a highchair... still eating baby food, who probably was still working on pronouncing his parent’s names…as in mommy and daddy, much less having any concept of golf, yet already swinging golf clubs like a pro. That there was a natural gift…‘zen-like’… nourished by his father who also played golf, thus birthing a lore of tangents that made Tiger; not all of which were complaisant influences.

Without leaving spoilers the short chapters made reading easier. One sentence Tiger is walking down a street signing autographs and in the very next sentence, albeit next paragraph he is on the 13th hole hitting a nine-iron to 15 feet. I fell out the chair laughing at the scene of Tiger pulling up to Taco Bell, with mils in his back pocket; a true sign of his natural humble character and spirit. The ‘Birthday Spanking’ chapter was another favorite, as was the quote “…an old head on young shoulders.” There is just so much condensed in this small book. I think I could write a book on this book for all there is to express about what I read; none more so than the sheer work Tiger put into the game…both mentally and physically; to include that ‘Buick’ episode occurring once ‘dad’ moved to the side after being accused of being ‘too supportive’ of his only son. It warmed my heart to read Tiger expressing how he loved his dad, “he was his best friend,” …one tangent surely apparent in the making of a true champion.