The 1997 Masters: My Story

Golf star Woods recalls the start of his landmark career on the 20th anniversary of his mythic 1997 Masters win, which came only a year after his professional debut. The golfer, partnered with veteran journalist Rubenstein (Moe & Me), takes a low-key approach to his meteoric rise, careful to avoid any controversy. He recounts his departure from Stanford after his sophomore year, his impressive record as a golf junior and amateur, and his PGA tour qualification before his first Masters. Woods’s father, Earl, taught him a love of golf and competition, and the then-21-year-old rookie got practice time with some of the old guard, such as Ray Floyd, Fred Couples, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer, the latter of whom he admires for “his go-for-broke attitude.” He reluctantly addresses race by linking his father’s blackness and his mother’s Thai roots with a concocted term, “Cablinasian,” never thinking of himself as African-American. His peerless, strategic analysis of the Augusta National’s Masters course shows why the golfer has won 105 tournaments, including U.S. Opens, British Opens, PGA Championships, and Masters tournaments. Sparking yet another comeback into golf’s limelight, Woods writes with absorbing focus and profound emotion on two of his favorite subjects: golf and himself. [em](Mar.) [/em]