Tiger Virtues

For Tresniowski, 29-year-old superathlete Tiger Woods embodies a set of virtues-18, to be exact-that have helped him win on the golf course and that can be applied to anyone's life, on and off the green. The People magazine sportswriter admits he has not spoken to Woods about these virtues and can't say Woods necessarily believes in them or endorses them. Yet that doesn't stop Tresniowski from offering a crash course in Buddhism lite, anchored by anecdotes from Woods's playing career. In falsely erudite prose, Tresniowski explains the virtues: wakefulness, humility, preparation, positive thinking, stillness, fearlessness, ""happy warrior,"" intuition, diligence, integrity, no expectations, yielding spirit, sureness, vision, adaptability, patience, balance and exuberance. Although these virtues are certainly commendable, Tresniowski's tone is off-putting. It feels preachy, especially in phrases like, ""Let us look back, then, on what will likely be the first third of Tiger's historic career""; ""Do we not envy his passion, his purpose, his pride?""; and ""And so, as the sun sets on our lovely round, we must make our leave of him and set off on our own."" One wonders what the Tiger himself would make of such nonsense.