Capelle On Golf

Big surprise about Hank Haney’s upcoming book, The Big Miss: Tiger Woods is pissed.

According to Woods, “I just think this book is very self serving.” This dovetails with the point I made about Haney is the previous column – that he is one opportunistic S.O.B.

To make matters worse, the book is to be released in late March, just prior to the Masters. This is great for Haney, co-author Jaime Diaz, and the publisher because they figure to capitalize on the interest in golf as it reaches a feverish pitch in anticipation of the season’s first major.

The timing is not so great for Woods, however, who will want the focus to be on his recently resurging golf game, not the surrounding life events, personnel changes, and health issues that have hounded him going into the last two Masters.

As for us fans, we want to see if he can rebuild his career momentum in the majors, end what will be a 46 month drought in them come April, and renew his quest to beat Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles.

Woods recently turned 36, so he has only 16 more majors to set the record while in his thirties. Given the uncertain long term health of his left knee, he cannot bank on having till age 46 to complete the job, the age Nicklaus was when he won his 18th. Indeed, Nicklaus won his 17th at age 40, then caught lightening in a bottle six years later. In short, Woods has got to get back on board the major winning train in 2012 or face the fact that his quest did, indeed, implode on that night in late November of 2009.

Woods has gone into the last two Masters with his legendary concentration being tested by the media circus, and now it, sadly, figures to be again. “I think it’s unprofessional and very disappointing, especially because it’s someone I worked with and trusted as a friend,” said Woods in an interview with ESPN.  He added that “There have been other one-sided books about me, and I think people understand that this book is about money. I’m not going to waste my time reading it.”

As you can see, he is not at all pleased about it. And he will be a lot less so when he is questioned about its contents upon his arrival at Augusta National after the media has had a chance to digest the book’s contents. While some may get a kick out of the soap opera-like proceedings it promises to unleash, I think most fans are, at this point, most interested in his golf game: is he now on the comeback trail, or he is finished as a major player (pun intended).