Hank Haney To Publish Book on Tiger Woods

From the golf channel.com

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Hank Haney has written a book about the six years he spent as Tiger Woods’ swing coach, a volatile time in which Woods went from winning nearly half of his tournaments to a scandal that derailed his pursuit of golf history.

Without giving away any details until “The Big Miss” goes on sale in the spring, Haney believes the book will be hard to put down.

“I get asked all the time about Tiger, what it was like to work with him,” Haney said in a telephone interview. “I felt like I had a front row seat to golf history. It just kind of chronicles a little bit of what I went through, what I dealt with, how I coached and the observations I made.

“I think there’s a lot of things that people are going to find interesting.”

Haney began working with Woods at the Bay Hill Invitational in 2004. They parted ways a month after the 2010 Masters, where Woods made his return to golf after being exposed for multiple extramarital affairs that shattered his image and led to divorce.

Most of the people involved with Woods have signed a nondisclosure agreement. Haney said he signed no such thing – “I didn’t even have a contract,” he said – although he said the book was not intended to “take jabs at anyone.”

Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent at Excel Sports Management, said he was aware of the book but that Woods had not seen any excerpts and would have no comment.

Haney was asked whether he thought Woods will like it.

“If he reads it, I don’t think it will be a book that bothers him. It’s hard to say,” Haney said. “I think anybody who reads it will think it’s interesting, very fair and honest, and that’s what I wanted to do. I was on that job for six years. There were 110 days a year I was with him. I stayed at his house for close to 30 days a year. You make a lot of observations.”

The book will be released by Crown Archetype, part of the Crown Publishing Group at Random House, Inc. It is scheduled to be published March 27 – one week before the Masters – and issued simultaneously in print and digital formats in the United States and Canada.

Haney wrote the book with Jaime Diaz of Golf Digest, whose coverage dates to when Woods was a teenager and Diaz played golf with Woods and his father. Diaz also spoke at the memorial service for Earl Woods.

He said the title was collaboration.

“It has multiple meanings,” Haney said. “`The Big Miss’ was golf jargon. The big miss of a drive, obviously that’s been part of his game. The big miss of an opportunity? That’s really where we got the idea. It was a missed opportunity that Tiger and I had that we experienced working together. That all comes out in the book.”

Haney was the second of three coaches Woods has used as a professional, though he was part of the most interesting times. He caught more criticism than any coach, even though Woods won 29 times and six majors during their six years.

“I think the period of time that I dealt with Tiger was much more unique, in terms of having the scandal, Torrey Pines with the broken leg at the U.S. Open, other things, too,” Haney said. “It was a totally different time.”

Woods went nine months without winning after going to work with Haney. Starting with the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan at the end of the 2005 season, however, Woods won 46 percent of the tournaments he played worldwide.

During their six years together, Woods got married and had two children. His father died in May 2006, and Woods missed the cut in a major for the first time at the U.S. Open a month later.

As for the serial adultery, Haney said he didn’t know about it and doesn’t delve into that chapter of Woods’ life in the book, except for his return from the scandal after going nearly five months without competition.

“It’s something you can’t NOT talk about it,” Haney said. “My last tournament was the Masters, and that was his first tournament back from the scandal. I didn’t know anything about the girls. That’s not something I could specifically comment on. Everything I comment on is what I observed and the facts I knew. I didn’t know anything about that.

“But I did know about how he interacted with me about that, what my observations were and other areas in terms of how I dealt with and the aftermath.”

The most compelling win under Haney came at the 2008 U.S. Open, when Woods learned he had a double stress fracture in his left leg, along with shredded ligaments in his left knee. Despite not competing for two months, he won in a playoff over Rocco Mediate.

Haney recalled doctors telling Woods before that U.S. Open that he needed to spend three weeks on crutches, followed by three weeks of rest. Haney says Woods told the doctors, “I’m playing the U.S. Open, and I’m going to win.”

Pressed for examples of his observations in the book, Haney declined, not even to mention his favorite moment or the low point in his coaching relationship with Woods.

Haney said he knew all along he would be writing a book.

He worked primarily with Mark O’Meara, which is how he got to know Woods. Haney said from the day he first went to work with Woods, he knew that would be his last pro client.

He took notes and kept his observations in diaries, then waited to find the right publisher and someone – Diaz – to help him with the book. Haney said he hasn’t seen the finished product, but “we’re very close.”

“It was an incredible opportunity,” Haney said. “We had a great run and I enjoyed it, but a lot of things happened in six years that made it feel a little longer. I had a lot of great observations from being in the position I was in.”

Tiger Woods Blog Post - December 2011

It's hard to believe 2011 is almost over, and it was sure nice to get a victory! I played a lot of golf late in the year, and it was extremely satisfying to close out the season with a win at my own event, the Chevron World Challenge.

I basically did an exhibition tour right before the Australian Open. I played in Japan, Singapore, Perth and Melbourne, and then I went up to Sydney for the Australian Open. I did some clinics, and it was fun because I had to concentrate a bit because I was putting on exhibitions and had to play well. It was nice to have a semi-competitive environment before I played in the Aussie Open. In Japan, I did an exhibition with JLPGA players that benefited earthquake relief and tsunami relief. The women played great, and it was rewarding doing this event for such a good cause.

The great thing about the Australian Open and The Presidents Cup was that's basically how I've been hitting the ball at home. It was nice to be able to take what I had been doing into a tournament situation and play well. Although I didn't win the Australian Open, I finished third and hit a lot of quality golf shots.

The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney was very challenging. It's very modern and has a good mixture of short and long holes. Royal Melbourne was definitely an old-style course where you can run the ball up, throw the ball up in air and do a variety of different things. And with the green speeds being what they were -- especially the first day when they were running at 14 -- it was a little tough.

When I got to Royal Melbourne for The Presidents Cup, it was quite interesting because the people who questioned me being on The Presidents Cup team were not the players; they wanted me on the team. So when we came together, it was pretty neat to receive a warm reception and see how excited they were to have me be there with them.

It was great for Fred Couples, too. Fred stuck his neck out for me, and I was very grateful that he made me a captain's pick. To be able to secure the clinching point for the U.S. and play as well as I did down there was special for both of us.

As for the team room, it was a great mix of younger guys and older guys. It was pretty interesting to have Fred and assistant captains Jay Haas and John Cook. I've been on Ryder Cup teams with those guys, so it was a different perspective and was pretty cool.

I've heard people question whether Fred would be a good Ryder Cup captain, and I just don't get it. I think that Fred is a great captain. Whether it's The Presidents Cup or the Ryder Cup, it doesn't matter.

The way he keeps us loose and how much fun we have -- it's just great to play for him. He's a lot more competitive than people realize. He just doesn't show it. He shows it with us around, but the public doesn't see it.

Matt Kuchar dominated in pingpong again. It's not even close. He is far and away the best player. Nobody can beat the guy.

I came home and played in my Foundation's tournament at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and I'm so excited to have won for the fifth time. Equally important, I gave the $1.2 million first prize to my Foundation's programs, which will help get more underserved kids into college.

Coming into the week, I was basically just trying to continue doing what I was doing in Australia, and I did that. I hit the ball just as well and made a few putts. It was tough playing against Zach Johnson on Sunday afternoon because he doesn't back up. He put a lot of heat on me and had the lead starting the final round, so I had to go and get him.

Zach hit an absolutely great shot on the 14th hole on Sunday, where he nipped a 60-degree sand wedge on the green and was able to save par. It was a big momentum switch. If he had tried to putt it, he can't keep it on the green. If he goes at the hole, there's a little fall-off on the left part of the green. If he had played short with a putt, the best he could do was about 15 feet. I thought if he made bogey there and I made birdie, it would be a two-shot swing. It was a big moment.

The shot that he played -- that little spinner in there -- he had to cut it to hold the hill. When he made contact, I could tell from the sound that he pulled it off. Man, that was impressive. You have to expect him to pull it off, especially a guy with his talent.

I felt very comfortable in the tournament from start to finish. Golf doesn't change. You should be all-systems go on the first day until the last day. I felt nervous coming down the stretch -- absolutely! You want to feel nervous because it means you care. When I stop getting nervous, it's time for me to quit.

I really hit three nice shots the last two holes. And then I made two nice putts on top of that. The best part about winning was the reinforcement that all the training and hard work I have put in with Sean Foley paid off.

It was also nice to get my first 'W' with Joe LaCava on the bag. He's been awesome. He's definitely very calm out here. That's why it's fun to be out there with him. We just have a great time. We do talk a lot of sports. We talk a lot about the New York Yankees and New York Giants, his favorite teams. We just have a ton of fun out there. Joe also spent some time with one of our Earl Woods Scholars who was serving as a course reporter at Sherwood. She wanted to interview a caddie, so we set her up with Joe, and I am grateful he took time to do that.

Speaking of Sherwood, one of our participants -- Keegan Bradley -- was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, and Luke Donald was picked as Tour Player of the Year. I'd like to congratulate them both. They're two outstanding players and equally good guys. Well done.

I just visited our newest Learning Center campus at Murray Middle School in Stuart, Fla. It's our fourth campus, and our first in Florida. It was a great afternoon, and I'm very pleased with how this model is allowing us to expand. Plus I always enjoy getting to spend an afternoon focused on science -- especially our Forensics class.

I did want to say the response I have received from the fans during my recent travels has just been fantastic. The people in Asia have always supported me my entire career. There's a level of excitement over there in golf; it's growing rapidly in these countries and other areas I went to, so it was great to be a part of it.

And of course, the fans in SoCal were tremendous. That's where I grew up, and it's always nice to play well in front of the hometown crowd. The reception I received coming up to the 18th green on Sunday at Sherwood Country Club felt very good. Really, since I've turned pro, fan support everywhere has been amazing. I want everyone to know how much that means to me. Needless to say, we did a little celebrating.

I debuted my new golf bag sponsor at my event in California. I'm very excited about Fuse Science and obviously the patents they have coming up and level of technology they're going to introduce. They're a game-changer in the energy, medicine and vitamin field, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it on the ground floor. Look for their new products to be introduced early next year.

I going to take a couple weeks off and let my body recover a little bit. And then I will start getting ready for 2012. My first event will be in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. HSBC has been a big supporter of my Foundation, and it sounds like they're going to have an excellent field. I've been to Dubai quite a few times, but never to Abu Dhabi. I'm looking forward to the experience.

Before I begin the new season, I will attend the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2 in Arizona to watch Stanford play Oklahoma State. Cardinal head coach David Shaw asked me to be an honorary team captain, and I happily accepted. For Coach Shaw to think highly enough of me to be involved in the game and be able to talk to his kids is very special.

I'm very close to Stanford. They've done so much for me in my life. Everyone knows Coach Shaw and I had a class together. We go way back. It's neat to be able to come back and help him any way that I can.

That's it for 2011. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

Happy holidays and best wishes in the new year.

Tiger Woods New Caddie

From golfchannel.com


The “talk” is never easy, however abbreviated the relationship.

We’ve all seen this transcript, it’s not you, it’s me. We can still be friends. There’ll be other caddies. But all that likely did little to soothe Dustin Johnson’s rattled psyche late Sunday in the plush East Lake locker room when caddie Joe LaCava informed him he was moving on to a bigger bag. The biggest bag in the game, to be accurate, but even that probably did little to ease the blow.

“Needless to say, Dustin and I were completely surprised, as they have enjoyed a great relationship and have been very successful together,” Johnson’s manager David Winkle with Hambric Sports Management said in a release.

The golf world is abuzz today with talk about a perceived lack of chemistry between Johnson and LaCava, but last month’s victory at The Barclays suggests the two were compatible enough. Let the record show that since the two began working together at The Players Championship, Johnson has posted three top-5 finishes and missed just one cut.

But this isn’t about irreconcilable differences or bad timing or even career advancement. Regardless of Woods’ current swoon he is still the player with the most major championship “upside” this side of Jack Nicklaus. It’s impossible to begrudge anyone that bag.

No, this is about locker room etiquette, about doing the right thing instead of taking the easy out, about taking the high road instead of the path of least resistance.

What exactly transpired in the weeks leading up to the Johnson and LaCava’s split will likely remain a well-guarded secret. It always is within the confines of Camp Tiger, but this much is certain – Woods did not contact Johnson until after LaCava had given his man the pink slip.

“(Woods’ manager Mark Steinberg) and I were approached by a lot of people, including Joe, who expressed an interest in becoming my caddie,” said Woods, who begins the LaCava era next week at the Frys.com Open.

“This was an important decision, and I wanted to think about it carefully. Also, out of deference for the FedEx Cup playoffs, I decided to wait until they were concluding to have substantive talks. We then spoke to Joe and came to an agreement.”

According to sources familiar with the situation LaCava did “reach out” to Woods but only after he learned he was being considered. More importantly, Woods did not contact Johnson before he began “substantive talks” with LaCava. There is no rulebook on caddie swapping, but as a general guide it is customary for a player in Woods’ position to approach Johnson about the possibility.

“My guess is Tiger just asked Joe with (Fred Couples’) input or help. In the end, caddies and players have to do what’s best for themselves,” said one Tour player. “Sometimes feelings get hurt. But I do think out of respect for a top player in the game Tiger should have given DJ a call.”

It’s worth noting, the same player pointed out that any caddie would jump at the chance to work for Woods, “Hell, I’d caddie for him,” he said. And there is certainly no faulting LaCava for either the move or the timing.

But the consensus across Tour lines was rather clear on this front. This isn’t about asking for permission, this is about common courtesy and a gentleman’s game.

“I would think he probably did call him or have (Steinberg) call him,” said another Tour type. “If not I’d be kind of surprised.”

If one needed a case study on how such matters should be handled look no further than LaCava’s split with Couples’ earlier this year. After two decades with one of the game’s most charismatic and popular players, LaCava moved slowly, some would say even sluggishly, to the conclusion that he and Johnson were a natural fit.

Even then, the veteran looper only made the move after Couples urged him to do so, and only after Johnson’s camp had cleared the switch with Couples. It seems simple, clerical even, but when it comes to the delicate balance of the player-caddie relationship it’s the only way.

It’s become good sport to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to Woods in the post-November 2009 world, and given his close relationship with both LaCava and Couples the move has a low-hanging-fruit feel to it. But there is no denying that along the way Woods missed some steps.

It’s an even more curious outcome considering Woods’ split with his longtime caddie Stevie Williams this year. By some accounts, Williams’ moonlighting on Adam Scott’s bag was the tipping point in the relationship. Although he’d asked for Woods’ permission to do so, it seems the New Zealander had simply ran through too many stop signs.

On this it seems Woods suffered a similar faux pas that won’t easily be fixed. The world is eagerly awaiting a Woods-Scott duel filled with juicy subtext at November’s Presidents Cup. Just a hunch, be we’ve got about as much chance of seeing that soap opera as we do a Woods-Johnson pairing at Royal Melbourne?

Tiger Woods Returns to Golf

The wait is over. No, not a debt ceiling deal, but learning when Tiger Woods will play next. On his website on Thursday evening, Woods announced he would be playing in next week’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

“I’m excited to get back out there,” said Woods.

Woods tweeted, “Feeling fit and ready to tee it up at Firestone next week. Excited to get back out there!”

Woods has not competed since The Players Championship in May, withdrawing after nine holes of 6-over golf following a reaggravation of left knee and Achilles injuries tweaked at The Masters.

Golf Channel reports Woods will have pal Bryon Bell on the bag for the tournament. Bell has caddied for his childhood friend and employer twice – in 1999, when Woods was victorious at Torrey Pines, and at the same event in 2000 as a chance to “defend” that title. He was also the looper for Woods at Disney in 2003.

Bell was also cited in emails obtained by tabloid publications as the go-between for Tiger Woods and mistress Rachel Uchitel.

Woods is current ranked 21st in the world ranking, which is part of a slide stemming from his 11-week absence from action. He is also currently on the outside of the FedExCup playoffs, sitting at 133rd on the ladder and needing to be inside the top 125 to compete in at least one playoff event. The WGC Bridgestone Invitational is a no-cut event that Woods has won on seven occasions, which will assure him FedExCup and Official World Golf Ranking points.

On Tuesday of this week, Woods’ swing instructor Sean Foley told Rex Hoggard of GolfChannel.com, “I have seen him since then but we have just been chatting and setting a game plan for the future. This time off has been an excellent opportunity for us to put in place a plan with the big picture in mind.”

Woods, then, has hypothetically began hitting golf balls in the last 48 hours, or has been doing so for some time on his own, as his website says, “[Woods] just recently began hitting practice balls.”

The announcement did not share Woods’ status for the PGA Championship, played at Atlanta Athletic Club in the week after next week at Firestone CC.

Tiger Woods Joins Excel Sports Management

Tiger Woods’s agent, Mark Steinberg, has joined Excel Sports Management, two months after leaving International Management Group.

Steinberg, who has represented Woods since 1999, confirmed the move in an e-mail. The Sports Business Daily reported the change earlier today.

“After meeting with a number of agencies and businesses, I decided Excel was the perfect fit,” Steinberg said in a statement released by New York-based firm. “I’m excited to serve as a partner in an agency positioned for growth.”
Steinberg, 43, announced he was leaving New York-based IMG in May.

The announcement follows a Golf Channel report that Woods would appear on the network today to make a “special announcement.” Steinberg denied the report. NBC Sports reported that Woods would sit down for an interview with the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman at 11 a.m. New York time. The Golf Channel now plans to speak with Steinberg, according to its website. Both networks are owned by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)

“No announcement today,” Steinberg said in an e-mail. “Something taken out of context.”
Asked if Woods was still scheduled to be interviewed by Tilghman, Steinberg said: “No. He never was.”
Dan Higgins, a spokesman for Golf Channel, referred questions about the interview report to Jeremy Friedman, another spokesman for the network, who didn’t immediately return an e- mail and telephone message seeking comment.
Woods, the winner of 14 major golf championships, hasn’t played in a tournament in two months. He said last week that he’d skip this week’s British Open, the season’s third major, as he recovers from knee and ankle injuries and wouldn’t return to competition until he’s 100 percent healthy.

Woods hasn’t won a tournament since November 2009, one month after he claimed the last of his 71 U.S. PGA Tour victories. He’s fallen to No. 19 in the Official World Golf Ranking after holding the top spot for a record 281 weeks.
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Buteau in Atlanta at mbuteau@bloomberg.net; Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net;

Tiger Woods on Jimmy Fallon

From: http://progolftalk.nbcsports.com/2011/03/17/did-tiger-earn-points-for-taking-jabs-from-jimmy-fallon/related

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It was quite intriguing that Tiger Woods would make his first talk show appearance since his divorce last summer on a late night comedy program. The prior, friendly, video game-based relationship with Jimmy Fallon aside, Woods had to feel certain that a shot was coming at some point.

It did - for about 90 seconds in the interview segment of Woods’ appearance, before the pair and guest Amy Poehler played the video game with Woods’ name (but not image) on it.

“From a comedian’s standpoint and my monologue writers’, thank you so much” Fallon said. “We laughed at your pain. I mean, not even making jokes — it kind of wrote itself. I mean, balls, shaft, holes, foursomes… It really writes itself. I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you.”

This is not the first time Woods has taken jabs in a public forum. In Australia last fall, Woods appeared with beleaguered cricket player Shane Warne on a nationally televised program. Warne took a shot at Woods, saying, “I think we have a little bit in common probably. We play a lot of golf.”

Tiger Woods replied in-kind with a clever retort, “I’ve always wanted to hear some of the stories about [Warne]…on the cricket pitch.”

That moment was a rare one for Tiger, perhaps made easier by the fact that the American press were less likely to parse his words for meaning.

Woods’ father, Earl, taught him to be respectful of the people who ask him questions, but to only answer the question asked – no more, no less. It’s why Woods said just about nothing to Fallon after the awkward almsgiving to the golfer for being a national joke for over a year. A question wasn’t answered, so Woods simply nodded his head and laughed.

What was he to do? Look mad? He did it to himself – all of it. The divorce, the swing change. It’s all on him and he knows it.

Woods also knows that he will be taking shots like that for the remainder of his professional career. Until he becomes an elder statesman of the sport and the natural course of revising history in a favorably tinge for our beloved athletes, this is a way of life.

So, for Tiger Woods to sit there and take a couple of minutes of awkward commentary, it’s no big deal. The big deal for Woods is getting his game back. It’s the only way Woods will be able to win back fans that had lost faith in him as a person – to prove to them he is a champion in something else.

Tiger Woods Won't Play Honda

From ESPN News

Tiger Woods will not play in the Honda Classic next week at PGA National in Palm Gardens, Fla., his agent said Thursday.

Speculation had begun that Woods would play at the Honda Classic because of his first-round loss Wednesday in the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.

But Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, said in a statement to the media that Woods will not play at Honda because of "existing commitments." The Honda Classic is March 3-6.

Woods lost to Thomas Bjorn in match play, his first PGA round since finishing in a tie for 44th place at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January. Woods also tied for 20th at the non-Tour Dubai Desert Classic in February.

Woods is expected to play next in the Cadillac Championship at Doral on March 10-13.