Tiger Woods

Children's Literature

Tiger Woods is a national hero, one of the few Americans of mixed blood to succeed in golf, a traditionally white sport. As an infant he watched his father hit golf balls and when he was eleven months old he imitated the swing perfectly. At two, he competed in a putting match with Bob Hope. At three, he shot 48 holes on a regulation course. At four, he was spending eight hours a day on the golf course. Recognizing Tiger's talent, his father quit his job and coached his son full-time. At twenty-one, Tiger won the 1997 Masters with a 12-stroke lead. This was only seven years after the Augusta National Golf Club allowed blacks on the course. Tiger's main goal, besides winning, was to make golf a multi-race sport. He believed that America was the melting pot of the world and that all races and religions should be honored. The book is one in the "Benchmark All-Star" series on sports heroes and includes an index, glossary of golfing words, statistics of Tiger's 2003 PGA tour, a bibliography, and web sites. Sidebars describe golf terms, equipment, and scoring. 2004, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish Corporation, Ages 10 to 14.
—Janet L. Rose