Tiger Woods Profiled in Golf Digest

Jaime Diaz seems to be THE guy when it comes to reporting on the softer side of Tiger Woods. He is clearly an unabashed fan of the world number one and it can be evident in his writing. You can see it yourself in this piece which really serves as a recap of some key events in Tiger's life since his father, Earl, passed away last May.

Woods has plenty of critics and I'm sure that many people will take some of what is quoted of Woods in the piece as mere fluff and nothing of substance. That's fine, but I think you'd be mistaken to take that view.

Diaz's piece really is meant to highlight Woods as a human being and underscore the difficult transition that any man has to make in life when he gets married, becomes a father, loses his father, and tries to move on without a loved one. Diaz does that with excellent writing and a flow that is compelling to anyone who has or had a great relationship with their father.

I have a close relationship with my dad and I really felt some of Diaz's prose and quotes from Tiger exemplify how I feel about my father and what he means to my life. Even if you aren't particularly interested in how Woods describes why he may have become distant, more tense, and disinterested in golf for a time, I would urge you to read the piece as a son or a father.

Let me end the post with a quote from the piece that may whet your whistle:

But all roads led back to Earl. Haney and others noticed that with increasing frequency Woods cited lessons learned from his father, sometimes adding, "The older I get, the smarter Dad has gotten."

At his Florida outing, when asked who would make up his ideal foursome, Woods' answer was all about longing. "Very simple: It would be a twosome. Just me and my dad," he said. "I wish I could go back and play like we used to play."

Great work, Jaime.