Two books on prominent golfers — “Tiger Project’’ by Gavin Newsham and “RORY’’ by Alan Shipnuck – came out very close together earlier this year. Both were somewhat updated when they were released, as Tiger Woods had since been involved in another auto-related catastrophe and Rory McIlroy was about to repeat as a Masters champion.
That didn’t really matter, as both books were well researched and pertinent to the golf world specifically and the much wider world of sports in general. The books ideally should be read consecutively to be fully appreciated, with Tiger going first.
I wasn’t excited when “Project Tiger’’ arrived in the mail. Another book on the brilliant golfer with serious personal issues, really?!
This one, though, was presented with a fresh perspective. Newsham’s creation (Diversion Books) detailed Woods’ upbringing and the cover promised “A searing indictment of Tiger Woods’ father.’’
That seemed a bit of a stretch to me, though the Woods had – to put it mildly — “a unique father-son relationship.’’ Earl Woods seemed to be wanting his son to be a world-changing savior even more than just a great golfer.
The early years of that project made for interesting reading, with the racial issues they faced particularly poignant. Newsham interviewed Tiger’s coaches, classmates, girlfriends and fellow competitors in describing how he was molded in those early years.
The McIlroy book made for more interesting reading, probably because the material in “Rory’’ (Avid Reader Press and Simon & Shuster) was fresher. McIlroy is the next great golf star, and Shipnuck’s biography was was both interesting and revealing.
Here was a young boy growing up in Northern Ireland with a much different parenting style than Woods. Father Gerry had grown up in public housing in Belfast. He worked as the manager of a bar who made ends meet by taking a variety of other jobs – one of which even called for cleaning toilets. Mother Rosie worked nights in a factory while Rory was growing up. Both worked to give McIlroy the opportunity to fully develop his golf skills.
As was the case with “Tiger Project’’ I take issue with a phrase on the book cover. It promised “The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar.’’
Shipnuck went beyond golf, even providing inside looks at McIlroy’s various girlfriend issues and recounting a spicy conversation during a U.S. Open in which McIlroy took issue with the money Shipnuck would receive for writing the book.
All in all, two thought-provoking books – both in the 300-page range — on subjects that figure to merit such in depth treatment for many years to come.