The Second Life of Tiger Woods

By: Michael Bamberger

Narrated by: David Morse

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Fascinating...[Bamberger] knows the world of professional golf, and the pressures it exacts, like few others." (The Wall Street Journal)

It’s one of the greatest comebacks of all time. And for Tiger Woods - his game, his body, and his life in shambles - getting back to the winner’s circle was only half the story. Here’s the rest of it.

Tiger Woods’ long descent into a personal and professional hell reached bottom in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2017. Woods' DUI arrest that night came on the heels of a desperate spinal surgery, just weeks after he told close friends he might never play tournament golf again. His mug shot and alarming arrest video were painful to look at and, for Woods, a deep humiliation. The former paragon of discipline now found himself hopelessly lost and out of control, exposed for all the world to see. That episode could have marked the beginning of Tiger’s end. It proved to be the opposite.

Instead of sinking beneath the public disgrace of drug abuse and the private despair of a battered and ailing body, Woods embarked on the long road to redeeming himself. In The Second Life of Tiger Woods, Michael Bamberger, who has covered Woods since the golfer was an amateur, draws upon his deep network of sources inside locker rooms, caddie yards, clubhouses, fitness trailers, and back offices to tell the true and inspiring story of the legend’s return. Packed with new information and graced by insight, Bamberger’s story reveals how this iconic athlete clawed his way back to the top.

Here you’ll meet the people who have shaped and saved Tiger’s life. It’s a disparate group: a Florida police officer, an old friend from Tiger’s boyhood, his girlfriend, his manager, his caddie. You’ll go inside the ropes and see Tiger’s interactions with fellow pros, with broadcasters and rules officials and Tour executives, with legends young (Rory McIlroy) and old (Jack Nicklaus) and in between (Fred Couples). On the Sunday before Masters Sunday, you’ll join Tiger as he takes a long, slow, contemplative walk across Augusta National, and you’ll be with him again seven days later in the splendid isolation of the tee at 13, in the rain, his right foot slipping while he swings his driver at 120 miles per hour.

This is an intimate portrait of a man who has spent his life in front of the camera but has done his best to make sure he was never really known. Here is Tiger, barefoot, in handcuffs, showing a police officer a witty and self-deprecating side of himself that the public never sees. Here is Tiger on the verge of tears with his children at the British Open. Here is Tiger trying to express his gratitude to his mother at a ceremony at the Rose Garden. In this audiobook, Tiger is funny, cold, generous, self-absorbed, inspiring - and real.

The Second Life of Tiger Woods is not only the saga of an exceptional man but also a celebration of second chances. Bamberger’s bracingly honest book is about what Tiger Woods did, and about what any of us can do, when we face our demons head-on.

©2020 Michael Bamberger (P)2020 Simon & Schuster

In some parts overly sympathetic to “poor Tiger”

I didn’t like how the author reduced tigers sex scandal to a “stiletto parade” of newspaper results. One of the women he seduced was the young daughter of a neighbour/friend but this wasn’t mentioned at all in the book.

Nailed it

Spot on. You took us there. Glad I found it and have recommended it to others.

Don’t buy this book

Typical author who had to bring Politics into a story not needed. This guy looks at all the Bad traits in Tiger Woods. Don’t waste the time listening to this.

Overall, it’s good

Good information even though we’ve all heard it before. There were moments toward the end that I stopped and was touched by the author’s anecdotes. It should’ve ended there imo. The last 20 minutes were hard to listen to..too much effort to leave a mark on the impact Tiger had on golf, his family and fans. Worth the listen but lacked anything substantial.

Very interesting-Love Tiger or not...

A lot of interesting insight. Some good - some not so good - but gives you hope for a kinder gentler Tiger. Narrator has a great voice, but unfortunately must not be a sports or golf fan. A little jarring how he pronounces Bouton, Kuchar, hosel, Amen Corner, and tries to imitate Nick Faldo. Only thing I really didn’t like about the book 🙁!

Just OK

The book was interesting enough to keep going but it felt a bit gossipy throughout with 3rd hand information and had a negative vibe throughout. Was really hopeful there would be more background on Tigers life and overall more positive vibe, which there was at times, but just not to my taste.

Great book!

It gives you great insight into what made and makes this champion tick. Loved it.

Welcome back Tiger

I just love reading all about Tiger and this did not disappoint. Love hearing about the comeback.

The Second Life of Tiger Woods - fantastic

Michael Bamberger’s book focuses on Tiger Woods’ remarkable comeback from the depths of his humiliating arrest in Florida in 2017 to his improbable and inspiring win at the Master’s tournament in 2019.

This is not a hagiography by any stretch, but it’s also written with dignity and empathy. The fact that Bamberger is such a respected figure in the world of golf ensures that the reader is getting credible, compelling information concerning one of the most fascinating figures in the history of sports. The author’s impressive knowledge is invaluable in providing context relevant to both Tiger and the history of the game.

To top it off, the book is narrated by “the father of our country”, the great actor David Morse.

Highly recommended for golf and sports fans but also for anyone who wants to read a real life story about what can be accomplished through hard work, determination and even courage.

I had read Bamberger’s wonderful book “Men in Green”, so I had high expectations in starting this book. Those expectations were met - and then some.

A flawed champion, but aren’t they all?

Being a golf nut, I’ve read/listened to multiple books on Tiger Woods over the years. This one is relatively short at 9.5 hours. This one was very informative, but limited in scope. It basically goes through his fall which started with him hitting a fire hydrant Thanksgiving of 2009, the revelation of numerous affairs and climaxed with Woods being arrested for DWI in the spring of 2017 and then his rise again which ultimately resulted in his historic 2019 win at The Masters. This one is more about Woods as a person than a recounting of the golf results. Some who idolize Woods might see some sections of the book as too harsh, but I thought the insight was excellent. Like most of the books on Woods there is a contrast in how the writer handles Woods the player and Woods the person. All writers agree that Woods is one of the best players of all time. Most also agree that his hyper focus on achieving that goal as a player left him with multiple deficits as a person. This book is an excellent companion to the one written by Benedict and Keteyian in 2018 in that it picks up pretty much where the timeline of that book ends. It also shows that after his DWI, Tiger finally decided to make changes in his personal life. Whether it was those personal changes, getting rid of some of his back pain or a combination of the two that resulted in his Masters win, who knows. However, this book does an excellent job of documenting both aspects.

A Worthwhile Listen

Great book well read, I would recommend to any golfer or followers of the game.

superb

Superb insights into Tiger and the comparisons to the other golfing greats behaviours was riveting. I am really looking forward to hearing you being interviewed on OTB golfing podcast. Congratulations Michael it was fantastic!