Woods' agent slams book by former swing coach
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, March 1, 2012
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Tiger Woods reacts after losing his match to Nick Watney (not pictured) on the 18th hole during the second round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on February 23, 2012 in Marana, Arizona. |
Tiger Woods' agent lashed out on Tuesday against Hank Haney's book, saying his "armchair psychology" about Woods was "ridiculous" and that it was clear the former swing coach only cares about self-promotion.
Haney's book about his six years as Woods' coach is titled, "The Big Miss." It is to go on sale March 27, a week before the Masters. Haney said his job became more difficult in 2007, when Woods had 12 majors and was getting closer to the record 18 won by Jack Nicklaus. "There was more urgency and less fun. ... He never mentioned Nicklaus' record, but it started to weigh more heavily at every major," Haney wrote. "And Tiger's actions indicated he believed he had less time to do it than everyone thought."
Haney said the objective of revamping his swing was to preserve his left knee.
He also said Woods was seriously considering becoming a Navy SEAL. Woods' father, Earl, was a green beret in the Army who did two tours during the Vietnam War.
"I didn't know how he'd go about it, but when he talked about it, it was clear he had a plan," Haney writes. "I thought, 'Wow, here is Tiger Woods, greatest athlete on the planet, maybe the greatest athlete ever, right in the middle of his prime, basically ready to leave it all behind for a military life.'"
Woods agent Mark Steinberg said that excerpts show Haney's claim of the book being about golf is "clearly false."
"His armchair psychology about Tiger, on matters he admits they didn't even discuss, is ridiculous," Steinberg said. "Because of his father, it's no secret that Tiger has always had high respect for the military, so for Haney to twist that admiration into something negative is disrespectful."
