The Tiger Slam: The Inside Story of the Greatest Golf Ever Played

In this meticulous if dry account, Cook (Waco Rising), the former editor-in-chief of Golf Magazine, details the 16 months in the early 2000s when Tiger Woods won golf’s four major championships in succession. Cook recounts, sometimes stroke-by-stroke, Woods’s performances, describing how he navigated windy conditions to win the U.S. Open, beat Bob May in a playoff round to nab the PGA, and maintained focus in the face of immense hype to come out on top at the Masters. Presenting Woods as a consummate perfectionist constantly looking for an edge over the competition, Cook notes that he asked the manufacturer of his custom putter to make it lighter than their standard model by the “weight of a sheet of printer paper.” The match recaps are immersive (“Tiger’s tee shot... flew past, missing the flag by inches, then hopped and checked back to ten feet. As he and May headed to the green, waving to acknowledge the crowd, a leather-lunged fan yelled, ‘Tiger, Tiger!’ ”), but the well-known outcome leaves little room for suspense, and even the occasional hiccup (Tiger’s caddie forgot to pack enough balls for the U.S. Open, putting Tiger at risk of incurring a two-stroke penalty if they ran out) doesn’t add much excitement. The result is a lukewarm overview of one of golf’s great hot streaks. Photos. Agent: David Halpern, David Halpern Literary. (Dec.)