Tiger Woods is authoring his first-ever memoir of his public life and professional golf career, and it's one of the most highly anticipated books from an athlete in a generation.
Woods and publisher HarperCollins announced Oct. 15 the forthcoming publication and release of the book entitled "Back," which will cover the period of Woods' life ranging from when he entered public life, to when he turned pro in 1996 through his 15th major triumph at the 2019 Masters.
In the release disclosing the deal, Woods said he would be telling his story with full co-operation from friends and members of his inner circle. It's unclear if those first-hand sources include ex-wife Elin Nordegren, his children, his ex-swing coaches and others he may want to protect or exclude from his broader life story.
Of course, there's natural curiosity how much Woods will open up about various controversial subjects, including the infidelity in his first marriage, the Thanksgiving weekend incident and car wreck, as well his DWI arrest when dealing with excruciating back pain and subsequent recovery. A reasonable observer would figure those to play fairly small roles in a wide-ranging book, so as to not take away from Woods' lifetime story. However, Woods' memoir will be compared to tennis legend Andre Agassi's "Open" memoir, which is considered the gold standard in the modern category.
Woods, in part, said he is writing this book now to clear the air about stories and anecdotes reported by journalists in other books about the golf legend. He claims many of those sourced stories are inaccurate or downright fabrications.
In announcing the deal, Woods said, “I’ve been in the spotlight for a long time, and because of that, there have been books and articles and TV shows about me, most filled with errors, speculative and wrong. This book is my definitive story. It’s in my words and expresses my thoughts. It describes how I feel and what’s happened in my life. I’ve been working at it steadily, and I’m looking forward to continuing the process and creating a book that people will want to read.”
Woods has worked with authors in the past on book material. Most recently, Woods worked with Canadian scribe Lorne Rubenstein to tell his version of events behind his first major championship victory at the 1997 Masters Tournament. Less than 25 months after the book's release celebrating 20 years since that first green jacket, Woods became the Augusta National winner for the fifth time in his career.
A release date for the book has not yet been announced, but the book will be distributed worldwide through HarperCollins to mainstream book sellers both in hard copy and digitally.
