Tiger, Tiger: His Life, As It's Never Been Told Before

by James Patterson, Peter de Jonge

The impossible life of Tiger Woods—how did he become the G.O.A.T., what drove him to fall so spectacularly, and how has he made his way back to the pinnacle of golf? In Patterson’s hands, Tiger’s story is a hole-in-one thriller.

On April 13, 1986, ten-year-old Tiger Woods watches his idol, Jack Nicklaus, win his record sixth Masters.

Just over a decade later, it’s chants of “Ti-ger, Ti-ger!” ringing out as the twenty-one-year-old wins his first Green Jacket.

He blazes an incredible path, winning fourteen major titles (second only to Nicklaus himself) by the time he’s thirty-three, smashing records and raising standards. His phenomenal success earns him adoration and respect not only from fellow players but from people everywhere.

Then come multiple public scandals and potentially career-ending injuries.

The once-assured champion becomes an all-American underdog. “YouTube golfer” is how his two children knew their father—winless since 2013—until he wins the 2019 Masters, his fifteenth major, before their eyes.

But the story doesn’t end there.

As the world watches, and even prays, Tiger Woods survives further injuries and rehabilitations.Even after his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the multi-hyphenate billionaire continues to notch new achievements. Golf course designer. Restaurateur. Real-estate stakeholder. Player-host of tournaments benefiting his TGR Foundation.

After nearly three decades on the PGA Tour, his lasting influence continues to inspire every rising generation.

Tiger, Tiger is the first full-scale biography of the decade. In James Patterson’s hands, this story is a hole-in-one thriller.
 

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

443 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2024

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Patterson is an incredibly prolific author. I have read many of his fiction books as well as several of his nonfiction books, including Against Medical Advice, James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life, Home Sweet Murder, The House of Kennedy, E.R. Nurses, The Last Days of John Lennon, Walk in My Combat Boots, and What Really Happens in Vegas: True Stories of the People Who Make Vegas, Vegas.

Patterson coauthored Tiger Tiger: His Life as It's Never Been Told Before with Peter de Jonge. It is terrific narrative nonfiction that is well researched. I listened to it on audiobook. It covers Tiger's life from early childhood until after the COVID pandemic. I Googled whether Patterson spoke with Tiger for this book, and he did not. I learned that Patterson has written four golf books, and he has had nine hole-in-ones.

[JR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t overly impressed with this “memoir” per se. I seen Tiger Woods blow up in my 20s and saw him on tv constantly. While not knowing a lot about him, I thought this would be a good read, but I was super underwhelmed by this.

I did learn a lot about Tiger reading this and the amazing career he had from a very early age, but I felt the memoir was empty, thoughtless, and just filled with facts that somebody could have got off a website. No buildup to anything at all. That could be due to Pattersons patent 3 or 4 page chapters that make it difficult to really get to the heart of each story.

There was really nothing personal in this at all, and was really mostly about his career and how he placed in such and such a tournament, and how many strokes he won by…etc. I thought maybe Tiger helped Patterson with some of these stories and could have been a little more personal, but maybe he had nothing to do with it. I’m really not sure.

There was a very big missed opportunity to touch on the aftermath of surgeries where he didn’t play for years and the scandals he was involved with and the aftermath of the cheating and car wrecks he was in. It was mentioned, but glazed over the personal problems he went through, which if delved into could have made this memoir a lot better in my opinion.

Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the story as a whole but loved getting to learn some new things about a living legend. If you are interested in Tigers career this is the book for you. 3 stars.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were captivated by the powerful character study in Carrie Soto is Back, then you simply must read Tiger, Tiger. Through his vivid, descriptive writing, Patterson truly makes you feel like you're walking in the shoes of golfing legend Tiger Woods. As someone who doesn't follow sports closely, I was amazed at how quickly I found myself invested in and rooting for Tiger's journey.

This novel goes far beyond just recounting the highs and lows of an iconic athletic career. At its heart, Tiger, Tiger is a profound exploration of the importance of family, the power of perseverance, and the strength required to overcome immense adversity. There were many moments that had me tearing up, so moved by the raw emotion and humanity that Patterson captures on the page.

Whether you're a diehard golf fan or someone like me who is new to Tiger's story, this book is an absolute must-read. I'm so grateful I had the chance to read an advance copy - it's a true triumph that I know will stay with me for a long time. Do yourself a favor and pick up Tiger, Tiger as soon as it’s available.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in the Patterson style of short chapters usually makes for a quick read. This book however is bogged down with so many dates and statistics that it becomes boring. I was expecting more about the boy and man that is Tiger Woods.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book introduced me to his beginning and some other well known aspects but it was missing some of the more personal side of the individual. A big book just to go over .....well, if you're a Tiger fan...you'll love it.

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 3 out of 5]

an OK golf book with a solid ending

This was a good golf book with an interesting start and ending. The middle was full of fluff. A bit pandering and Patterson did not do much to provide a lot of new information on Tiger. The book glosses over Wood’s trials and transgressions. A bit disappointing.
I really enjoyed learning about Tiger’s life as a father and his struggles to recover from his physical challenges. Immersive digital/audio. The audible narration was so lame. Numerous mispronunciations. An embarrassment for a major release. Also, Patterson or coauthor never talked with or interviewed Tiger.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about tiger but abit bland though

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Patterson tends to publish one or two non-fiction books, and truth be told, and until the last year or two, I hadn’t really been reading them. However, I find myself breaking new ground. I not only read his own personal memoirs – “The Stories of My Life” – as well as “Diana William, and Henry” – focusing on the relationship of Princess Diana with her two sons, William, and Henry. Now, I am talking on Patterson’s biography of Tiger Woods – “Tiger, Tiger” – one of the greatest golfers of all time.

“Tiger, Tiger” starts off by going back further in his life than I expected. It even covers a bit of his father and mother’s lives, including how they met, their relationship, and their extreme commitment in supporting Tiger’s development as a golfer. It explores Tiger’s early years as a prodigy, his teenage years, high school, college and amateur career.

Then Patterson focuses in on Tiger’s astounding professional career, business endeavors. and endorsements. Patterson explores Tiger’s personal life, including his falling in love and marrying Elin Nordegren, their children – daughter Sam, and son Charlie, and breakup of their marriage due to Tiger’s infidelities.

The last portion focuses on Tiger’s multiple medical recoveries and comeback, including his improbable win at the 2019 Masters Tournament, his admission to the Golf Hall of Fame, and how he has adjusted to his challenges, settled into his role as a father, and his undying love to play the game that he loves.

For me, especially as sports fan, this book was more interesting than I expected, albeit the obvious hero worship that Patterson affords Tiger is quite strong and for the most part, well deserved. Patterson makes good use of his standard short, focused chapters (much like news articles) to hit the highlights of Tiger’s life along with behind-the-scenes information that reveal his character, mindset, and motivations. Patterson focuses his book on the areas of Tiger’s professional career, business endeavors, and his family, which seem to be the three key areas of his life.

I appreciated learning more about Tiger’s parents and how their heritage, unique backgrounds, and parenting philosophy shaped Tiger, as well as how they chose to support rather than push him. I also appreciated learning more about the people who played key roles in the background, influencing Tiger’s development and contributing to his success. I think that many times, most people think about the success of high achieving sports stars in terms of their individual performance, but often times there are others who played a role in their success. Patterson does a good job of showing how Tiger’s individual drive and incredible analytical approach to win combined with the support and influence of others to create a winning formula. I especially enjoyed reading about how Tiger’s father taught him how to use calming and breathing exercises to strengthen his mental focus.

At the same time, there were a few things that I struggled within terms of Patterson’s style. I am not sure who he was able to interview and talk to in writing this book, but much of it felt like it was drawn from previous interviews, news stories, articles, and other social media research and put together to tell a more cohesive story. In some ways, a lot of it I had already seen and heard before. I was just reliving those moments as I read the book.

The other issue was that, as interesting as this book was to read, it never really felt like you got fully inside the mind and person of Tiger Woods. Who he really is, how he chose to make the mistakes he did, and how those lessons impacted him with his family and professionally. Everything is really told from an outside perspective and based on second and third-hand information. Because of that, we are limited on how far we get to the peel the onion on Tiger Woods life. For example, we don’t learn anything about Tiger’s infidelities - what drove him to cheat and why. Nor do we get to know how he built rebuilt relationships with Elin and his two children. The focus is more on the special bonds that Tiger had with his mother and father.

Even with my constructive feedback, it doesn’t take away from the personal enjoyment I had with this biography. I grew up watching Tiger Woods. His rise and complete domination on the golf course. His marriage. His fall from grace and hero worship. His struggles and eventual comeback. That 2019 Masters win was absolutely one of the all-time most awesome sports moments I have ever experienced. For me, Tiger is in some ways a modern-day version of the Old Testament Israelite warrior, Samson. With great gifts comes great responsibility. For me, Tiger was one of the greatest golfers in the history of the game. The most talented, and arguably, the best ever. His is a story worth reading.

Overall, this turned out to be a very personal reading experience. Reading Patterson’s book brought back so many memories for me. Tiger’s wins. His commercial of bouncing the golf ball with his club. The horrible news of his car crash outside his house that followed with his divorce. More importantly, his story of family – from his parents to his own children – and tough lessons involved. Patterson may not have gone as deep as I was hoping for, but he sure provided a strong reminder of why I will never forget Tiger’s achievements, his unbelievable personal drive and hunger to succeed, and his generational impact on the game of golf.

[George Nave · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd be willing to put my life savings on the fact that not one conversation in this book actually ever happened.

Listen to this absolute malarkey: "Out on the road, he hits local gyms to keep up his weight workouts, doing incline presses with sixty-five-pound barbells, squatting 250 pounds, and ending every session with five hundred crunches to strengthen the lower back muscles that power his swing. The routines have packed on some muscle weight—he’s up to 158 pounds now."

500 crunches after every session? 65 pound barbells? Man, shut the fuck up lmao

Just hundreds of pages of sycophantic drivel.

Double bogey.

[Tommy S · Rating 1 out of 5]

This ain’t it.

[Ashraf · Rating 2 out of 5]

James Patterson does not know what “building tension” means. There were no interviews for this book and no real depth to it, just 3-page chapters summarising key moments of Tiger Woods’ life and career, with short snippets of media interviews he gave at the time.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read multiple books on Tiger Woods before, I was curious to see whe “never been told before” tidbits James Patterson could share with readers. I was disappointed in that there really wasn’t much in the book that I at least had passing knowledge about Tiger, but I did find the book easy to read and despite its length, a fairly quick read.

It was good to read more about aspects of Tiger that weren’t strictly golf or scandal. Such as the relationship with his mother Tida. Even non-fans of golf or Tiger are aware of the influence his father Earl had on Tiger. But for me, it was nice to read many passages about the influence Tida had on him as well, especially on his mental health.

The more salacious and scandalous parts of Tiger’s life are not glossed over, but once initial details are covered, it felt like Patterson was saying “nothing to see here, let’s move along.” That May leave some readers wanting more but for me, it was fine. Everyone with any interest in Tiger knows the intimate details (pun intended) so there really wasn’t a need to include them. However, it just seemed to rush through them too quickly.

This also includes the chapters on his golf accomplishments. Some wins, especially in major tournaments, have some details but not many. Others just seemed like high-view summaries of moths or an entire season. Just like with Tiger’s personal life, this isn’t bad and makes for quick reading - but it feels incomplete.

Having read this book in two sittings while flying, I can’t say it’s a great book on Tiger as I enjoyed Jeff Benedict’s book on Tiger better as well as the book on Tiger’s 1997 win at the Masters. However, if a reader is more familiar with Patterson and his writing than anything about golf, this would be a good introduction to the most successful golfer in the history of the game.

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, let me say that I am a MASSIVE Tiger fan and always have been. I have embarrassed my family by doing admiring shout-outs to Tiger at various tournaments. I have politely declined Easter invitations because that was usually “Masters Week”, and I was holed up in my house watching every moment of Tiger coverage I could find. Tiger once made eye contact with me on the 15th hole at Oak Hill Country Club, and actually smiled at me. I have retold the story countless times and relive that pleasurable memory to this day.

I always taped all 4 days of every tournament that Tiger played in, and watched every moment of the coverage. I became infuriated with my husband when he once came into the den and asked me if I was stunned that Tiger managed to come back from 5 shots down on the back nine to win the tournament. I had been watching the tournament on tape delay, and almost ripped his head off for telling me that and ruining the excitement level. My husband never did that again.

I clapped, yelled, moaned and whimpered based on how Tiger was performing. When he had a particularly important putt, I would cover my face and watch through my twisted fingers. My whole body would be painfully contorted as my fingers, toes, arms and legs would all be crossed for "luck". I cried like a baby when he won the 2019 Masters Tournament.

From Tiger’s “Hello World” to today, I have been there for all of it. He has afforded me more hours of pleasure than any other public figure I could name.

I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about Tiger, but I learned quite a bit by listening to this book. Thank you Mr. Patterson for sharing with me some more memorable Tiger moments. But mostly, thank you Mr. Woods for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Audiobook OWWL
Landon Woodson – Narrator
Duration: 13:37:07

[Trent Bowes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who knew about Tiger, but never knew the full story or his achievements, this was a work of art. It is written in small chapters which make it super easy to digest. Whether you love him or hate him, this book shows that he was the player that Golf needed. This is a must read for lovers of not only sport, but a story well told.

[Mr K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator's pronunciations could have been researched better, Seve Ballesteros became Steve Ballesteros and numerous other errors, but overall a great listen.

[Tom Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story… I give it a 4 Star as it became repetitive and had Patterson cut 50 pages out he could have been less repetitive. But I and anyone who reads it will learn more about this very complex man than you could possibly imagine. It’s a life that will both astound and anger you. But it the end all you can do is marvel at how he has gotten through so much and how his kids are all that really matters.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading this book, mainly because I grew up around golf since my father loved it and devoted so much of his life to the sport. He started playing in the 50’s and the last thing he did before he was admitted into the hospital for the last 28 days of his life was play a round of golf on a very hot July 3rd and he shot a 68. His last words to us from his ICU bed was “I have an early Tee Time.”

I loved reading this book because of the players from the past. All those names brought back great memories for me.

It was, of course, a book about Tiger Woods. I learned some things I didn’t know. I never knew he went through a bit of Navy Seal Training and that may have caused a knee injury. I learned he was an adrenaline junky and loved living on the edge.

Tiger opened the sport of golf to a whole new generation and shut up a whole lot of disgusting bigotry he faced. I was shocked to find out that even as late as 1990 some Country Clubs still did not allow POC. Tiger looked over that, when he could have easily told Augusta to shove it and let them lose a ton of money that Tiger’s appearances brought to them. Tiger just wanted to play golf and to be the best at it and he proved he could be.

My Dad absolutely could not stand Tiger and said he was terrible for the sport. He was not a racist. He said Tiger was so good that he took the fun out of watching the matches. He said once Tiger started playing when you tuned into watch you knew Tiger would be leading the field by a dozen shots and you were more or less just watching for second place.

I told my Dad Tiger brought the thrill because watching him to me was like watching an artist paint. We were watching excellence and history Live.

The book, written in Patterson’s short chapter form could get a bit boring at times from the blow by blow details of each shot. I watched most of them and enjoyed the thinking that went into it, but for those who don’t know the game I’m sure a lot of it can be skipped.

His downfall with his affairs was mentioned, but not dwelled upon. I think when Tiger lost his Dad he lost a lot of his soul and was searching for something. I felt so bad for his wife Elin, but she handled it gracefully and they are good friends now and are doing great raising their two children.

Tiger’s car accidents pretty much have finished his career, but he is still a fighter and I don’t ever think we will see him win another major, but I would love to see him do it.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

His story like you’ve never heard it before is an excellent description of this book! Thought invoking and highly entertaining while giving us an insight on Tiger Woods. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like an extremely long Wikipedia page. The historical golf play by play wasn’t my jam and this is seemingly almost all already reported public facts about an extremely public figure with next to no insight or analysis.

[Ali Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A GREAT Masters week read. Any fan of Tiger’s game, his intellect, his psychology (both good and bad), this is a great book.

I find Tiger the athlete just as compelling as his psychology. Green Beret approach to his mentality, instilled by his father led him down a path of mistakes such as drugs and affairs.

Just more living proof that stuffing emotions will come out in the worst way down the line.

[Josh Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the deep dive into Tiger’s whole career. Starting from when he was a little kid up until 2024’s masters. He’s a legend of the golf game. I wish Wood’s was interviewed for this book and didn’t just use interviews and quotes/comments from his past. Absolutely recommend to anyone who likes Tiger or is interested in his career.

[Ryan Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun reading this and going down memory lane of Tiger Woods many victories that I remember watching on TV. Considering this book just came out I was surprised to see it concluded with this years US Open in June. I still hope to see Tiger win one more major, but not holding my breathe

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting on how little so many people find golf useful. It creates family time. Gets people outside in the elements. I cannot wait to try my hand at it and I am a 66 year old female. Truly loved the book even though I have never golfed.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t what I was expecting. I expected more about his childhood and what makes him tick vs dates and statistics of his wins/money.

[Klare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t really get into this one. Not very personal, lots of facts and numbers. I don’t think there is anything here that couldn’t be found if you just googled him.

[Ryan Wu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been a bit more personal but great recap of Tiger's life and career

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiger is so him but he is slightly strange

[Craig Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is his 16th major!!!!
And the final W he needed to get past Sneed for the all time lead. Amazing story of an amazing life! Patterson soars like a 32O yard drive down the narrow 18th at Augusta.

[Creston Mapes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a solid 3.5-4 stars. I wanted it to have a lot more insights into Tiger's private life, but it did not. There were a lot of facts about tournaments and information you could find anywhere. James Patterson wrote it, but the writing was simply average, or what you would expect from a non-fiction book about a superstar. In a nutshell: average.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful. Emotional. Exceptional.

I enjoyed every minute of this. A fantastic read chronicling the many highs, lows and returns to form of history’s greatest golfer, Tiger Woods.