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

by Kevin Cook

In The Tiger Slam, Kevin Cook delivers a gripping, inside-the-ropes account of an astonishing streak of victories that left Woods's rivals scrambling to keep up. Readers will hear from many of golf's biggest names--Tiger's caddie, his coach, his opponents, his idols, and others, all offering fresh insight into the electrifying highs of his victories and the obstacles on and off the course that threatened his relentless pursuit of perfection.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published December 10, 2024

About the author

Kevin Cook, the award-winning author of Titanic Thompson and Tommy’s Honor, has written for the New York Times, the Daily News, GQ, Men’s Journal, Vogue, and many other publications, and has appeared on CNN and Fox TV. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Ric · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, Tiger Woods is the most dominant golfer (if not athlete) of all time, and the stretch of golf in 2000-2001 was by far the best golf played in history. To hold all four majors at once is absolutely insane, and the only stretch of golf that even comes close is Tiger in 2008.

I liked the way that this was structured as well, to have backstory mixed in throughout the story of the tournaments kept it fresh for people that don’t want to just read hole by hole recollections (which I don’t mind at all). It’s definitely worth the read as a golf fan, and especially as a Tiger fan, because the Tiger Slam is the greatest achievement in golf history.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the dawn of the 21st century, an entirely new generation was becoming entranced with an ancient game, golf. The reason for this surge of interest can be credited to one man: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. The sheer level of dominance he had over the sport in 2000 and 2001 was punctuated by him winning golf’s four major tournaments consecutively in that time frame. How he did it is captured in this very good book by Kevin Cook.

Cook is an accomplished writer about other sports such as football and baseball and this is his first foray into golf. He does a fine job of bringing the reader on the course during each of those majors, starting with the 2000 U.S. Open at one of golf’s famous courses, Pebble Beach. From there, the reader and Tiger takes in St. Andrews (2000 Open), Valhalla (2000 PGA Championship) and Augusta (2001 Masters). The level of detail captured in Cook’s accounts of Tiger’s play in these tournaments is the best aspect of the book. When a key shot was made by Woods or one of his closest competitors, Cook gave readers details down to the club selection, spin on the ball, the curvature of the flight and its eventual landing spot. For golf enthusiasts, this level of detail is an excellent feature.

Cook does a good job when writing about Tiger’s life away from the course or the practice range. For fans of Woods who have read other books on him or have watched documentaries, there won’t be much new information to be gleaned. I fall into this category but there are some elements that aren’t published much. One of those is how much his mother Tida played in his upbringing and his success in golf. Much has been written and recorded about his father’s role in Woods’ success but little about his mother.

Cook also touches on the argument of whether this accomplishment counts as winning the Grand Slam since the 4 wins did not come in the same calendar year. Because of this controversy, many in the media dubbed the accomplishment the “Tiger Slam”, hence the title of the book. Most of the players Cook interviewed (there were many, another plus for this book) and who expressed an opinion on this say that yes, indeed, Woods accomplished the Grand Slam. While I agree with that sentiment, one doesn’t need to do so to enjoy this book on the most remarkable stretch of golf played by one person in the history of the game.

I wish to thank Avid Reader Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The views expressed are strictly my own.

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Chad Lorrain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book got me back into golf season like nothing else could. It was great to read with cool bits of info I never knew about the series of events leading up to the slam.

Highs: well researched; lively prose; Tiger running over his opponents with a steamroller

Lows: felt rushed in some aspects; did not give enough context to his biggest opponents; epilogue too short and could have had more detail.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read that really put into perspective how much Tiger dominated the golf world in the early 2000s

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great golf trip to the past. I forgot what a dominant player he was. This book was before Tiger lost his luster. Before the late night jokes.
Having seen both Tiger and Jack play I can say no one was a better gofer and competitor then Tiger! Jack was a greater champion but alas not the game changer that Tiger was.

A well written book that combines many mini golf historical vignettes with Tigers historical quest to capture all of golf’s majors. So much fun for this reader! A nostalgic journey!!

[Amrut Dabade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feel like the author could’ve set the stage for various “big moments” throughout the Tiger Slam. However, it was a great read and I particularly enjoyed the snippets from his caddy Steve Williams

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2025 reading year has started out slow. When I look back at last year’s tendencies, I noticed that January and February were slow last year as well and undoubtedly in every year of my life. After the Super Bowl there are a good seven weeks until baseball’s opening day and those weeks for me as a sports connoisseur are miserable. Even in January there are no football games on Mondays or Thursdays and the sports I do enjoy watching are limited to weekends. All this contributes to me not being in a positive mindset to read. I use this time of year to catch up on movies but gravitate to old sports highlights. Thankfully, there is also unlimited reading material about sports of all kinds. Kevin Cook is a Goodreads friend of mine, and I have enjoyed all the sports books of his that I have read. A shameless plug, he has also written micro histories on other events that are just as compelling, but I discovered Kevin Cook through his baseball writing. This time around, the subject is golf, or, to be more specific, Eldrick Tont Woods, more commonly known as Tiger. Tiger Woods won his first major tournament during my senior year of high school. With the Bulls nearing the end of their run, I knew I would have to find other star athletes to follow moving forward. On the first weekend of April 1997, the world got to know the next Michael Jordan, only he happened to wear long pants. Although my golfing ability had been limited to putt putt courses, I was hooked, and Tiger Slam became a must read for me. I had wanted to finish up my 2024 reading with Tiger Slam, but my library has moved slow recently. No worries, I would combat my annual slow reading start by reading about one of the premiere athletes of a generation, helping get me in a positive reading mindset.

What I have enjoyed about Cook’s previous books I have read is that he provides background information about the era in which the games are being played. Whether it was 1940s era baseball or 1970s era football, readers learned about the athletes and teams through a historical lens. Golf is a new ballgame for me because it is not a team sport unless you count Ryder Cup and all its intricate scoring. When Tiger Woods emerged as a premiere golfer and heir to Air Jordan as the best athlete on the planet, or at least the best finisher, I had to learn all about the intricacies of golf. It is not a sport I usually gravitate toward. I often viewed a Sunday final round of a tournament as a wonderful way to take a nap. That all changed with Tiger, and I had to up my fandom game by studying golf rules and history. By the time Tiger charged toward his slam, I thought I knew enough about the sport to know what he was up against. The one number that he cited was 18: the number of major tournaments won by Jack Nicklaus. In his early twenties, Tiger looked like he could eclipse that number by his mid thirties and we were just along for the ride. It is why announcers dubbed him Michael Jordan in long pants. In 2000 Tiger Woods embarked to win golf’s grand slam, winning all four major tournaments. It had only been done once before and pundits thought he was more than up for the challenge.

Golf has long been known as a gentleman’s sport played by the upperclasses first in Great Britain, then in the United States. Country clubs emerged in the 1890s once golf crossed the Atlantic and found an American home among the who’s who of society looking for a more compelling leisurely game to play than croquette or shuffleboard. Early American golfers included the Carnegies, Morgans, and Rockefellers of the world. Theodore Roosevelt did not view the game as manly enough, but 17 of the 20 presidents since have been avid golfers. It need not be said but country clubs were lily white, and many still are. If one was not a WASP male, one need not apply, and golf became an upper class game. Women played but they were usually upper class whites as well. The first cathedral of golf in the United States was built to honor the Old Course at St Andrew’s in Scotland. Augusta National in Georgia to this day is a white male only club. Blacks caddied and worked as janitors or in other menial jobs. The caddies were forced to wear overalls so they stood out on the course even though they were the only people of color on sight. Augusta National adheres to this caddie uniform to this day, and it is into this environment of thinking that Tiger Woods emerged as the best golfer of our times.

Prior to Woods few people of color competed on the PGA tour. The first Charlie Sifford did not compete much in the waning days of Jim Crow. The second Lee Elder played in his first tournament the year Tiger was born. Growing up in Southern California, Tiger got “the look” when he played on public links courses. The look followed him the rest of his career even after he achieved greatness. He has noted in rare interviews that he got accused of “acting white” if he tried too hard in school. He always had that chip on his shoulder. The great ones do and it propels them to achieve the heights that they did in sports or elsewhere in life. In 2000-01 no one could come close to Tiger Woods on the golf course. He had a superior ball and other superior equipment to the rest of the field due to his deal with Nike. Without a better ball or clubs, he possessed a superior physique and outdrove everyone. The first leg of the Tiger Slam took place at Pebble Beach, and he lapped the field. Ditto the British Open at St Andrew’s. His only “competition” came at the PGA Championship in Valhalla and there the viewing public saw Tiger’s fourth quarter mentality that we had come to admire from Jordan. All that was left was the 2001 Masters, which became must see tv, Tiger vs David Duval and Phil Mickelson, his two greatest challengers. Of course, Tiger prevailed or there would not have been a Tiger Slam, but it still made for compelling reading a quarter century later. And he kept winning for quite some time.

Kevin Cook always writes a quality micro history. I appreciated the golf history about the early days of golf in Scotland and how the game made its way across the Atlantic. Cook only delved into Tiger’s personal issues at the end of the book, only to cite how they’ve derailed a career trajectory that would have otherwise landed him with more majors won than Nicklaus. In life nothing is guaranteed and Tiger is a walking example of that. Had he continued on his early career path, he could have won 25 or more majors, but it was not to be. I have my own Tiger Woods story. His daughter Sam is a few weeks older than my oldest daughter. We lived in Orlando at the time and there is only one premiere maternal hospital, named for Arnold Palmer’s wife Winnie. My concern was the security at the hospital if/when Tiger wanted to make an appearance, but, thankfully for me, Sam’s birthday is a good three weeks before my daughter’s. Problem averted. We actually lived near Palmer’s Bay Hill Course and one time my husband claimed he saw Tiger zooming around in his white Porsche. I wish I could have sighted him myself in the days prior to his downfall when he still rated as one of the best athletes on the planet. Thanks to Tigermania the world has more golf fans and hackers although I will stick to putt putt. Kevin Cook brought back all the memories of those times. It was a fun read about an extraordinary achievement. I eagerly await his next book.

4 stars

[Morgan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is at its best when it focuses on storytelling (like the amazing chapter on the 2000 PGA Championship playoff) and at its worst when it gets overly technical (literally shot by shot breakdowns). Unfortunately there are more technical chapters than storytelling chapters, ultimately dulling a book that covers an incredible and likely unrepeatable event.

[Brent Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiger Woods is a figure that transcended golf and sport as a whole, a figure like Lance Armstrong who took a sport that largely sits on the backburner especially in the United States, and exponentially increased awareness and interest in the sport by his mere presence, an interest that has not been as fervent since his step back. Woods took the world by storm, and I would argue, as many do, that there was no greater intensity and fervor around Tiger Woods and his accomplishments than his “Tiger Slam”, as Cook details here. The capture of four straight majors, holding the trophies of the Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship all at once, is a feat we are highly unlikely to ever see again, and the story of Tiger’s domination, how he practiced, the rounds and challengers that tested him, the heroes and villains of the story, are all laid out perfectly here. Cook does not wallow too much in details, rather he moves through a good story at a brisk pace that appeals to readers of all stripes (pun intended). Covering the development of a new swing, to the invention of new golf balls, to the challenges of various courses, Cook paints a full picture not only of what Tiger did, but of the obstacles that stood in his way as he accomplished one of the greatest feats in all of sports. If you are a fan of golf, even a passing one, this is an exceptionally easy, short, and entertaining read.

[Tom Gase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Yes I gave a golf book five stars because it should be. Kevin Cook, who basically writes about anything and does it well, does it again here with a well-written and researched book on Tiger Woods and basically the greatest year in golf in the history of the game from the summer of 2000 to the spring of 2001 when he won the Masters and his fourth Majors title in a row. It wasn't during the same calendar year so instead of calling it the Grand Slam, people called it the Tiger Slam. This 250 page book keeps you on the edge of your seat, even if you know what happened since it's in the title. I had forgotten how close the PGA Championship was and the pressure of him to win the Masters to complete the quartet. I also learned a lot new, like the story of how his caddie forgot to put extra balls in his bag in the U.S. Open and it almost cost Tiger that particular tournament. Cook does an excellent job of discussing not only Tiger, but his opponents as well as his relationships with past winners such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones. A great read, a MUST for golf fans. I bought this for my Dad for Christmas and he actually finished it before me and LOVED it. Cook has also written great books on the NFL in the 1970's, two epic baseball books as well as a book on the Challenger Explosion. He has range and knows how to write a solid book.

[Tyrone Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although turning 50 this year, Tiger Woods was already a bonafide legend by the time he was 25. A phenomenon of not just golf but sport in general, it was between the years 2000 and 2001 that he achieved something that many deemed impossible; he won four grand slam tournaments in a row. The Tiger Slam: The Inside Story of the Greatest Golf Ever Played (2024) by Kevin Cook focuses on that incredible 12 month period when Woods took on history and won. He covers all four majors (US Open, The Open, The PGA and The Masters) and how Tiger overcame the world's best to cement his name as, in my opinion, the finest golfer who ever lived. It was an era I remember well and I really enjoyed being taken back to a time when the snooty sport was dragged into the modern age by a dynamic, young black man who not only measured up to his billing as a new sporting force, but rose to a celebrity far beyond the greens. What an important man he was and even the sex and painkiller addictions that tarnished him in later years can never take away his achievements or cultural impact. This book is a document of one of sports greatest phases and it's a very good one.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back when Tiger was winning four majors in a row in 2000-01, I wanted desperately for him to win. Surprise surprise, Bob May, Chris DiMarco, and the like could not defeat the greatest golfer then playing. I look back on that era with some fondness (hard to believe it's been a quarter century!) and a great deal more respect for Tiger's golf game (if not necessarily for him).

This book goes major by major, round by round, often shot by shot. It is deeply researched and hears from most of the characters involved (except for that dude on the cover). Golf can be a hard sport to write about in a lively way, but Cook describes the play very ably. I'm glad Eldrick never got to 18, but now, looking back, I'm glad to say I got to watch him in his prime. Even if I wish it were Els and Mickelson winning those majors.

[John Deardurff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nostalgic but uneven tribute to Tiger’s dominance. The audiobook version was like having someone read newspaper clippings from 2000-2001. The Tiger Slam is a literally retelling of Tiger Woods’ run of four consecutive major wins from 2000 to 2001. The book is clearly written with admiration, and it succeeds in highlighting the intensity that defined Tiger during this stretch.

That said, the storytelling can feel a bit one-sided and boring. While fans of Tiger will appreciate the reverence, I found myself wanting a more balanced perspective; something that explored not just the victories, but the challenges and complexities behind them. Most chapters feel rushed, reductive, and repetitive. If you're a Tiger Woods fan or a golf history buff, this is worth a read. Just don’t expect deep analysis or fresh revelations. It’s a solid tribute, but not quite a game-changer.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started playing golf due in part to being mesmerized by Tiger and his utter dominance of a white sport. The author does a good job humanizing one of the greatest accomplishments in sport. He touches on Tiger’s psyche, relationship with parents, his wrong doings, and his challenges with racism. He does all of this while providing the golf content we wanted to read, Tigers swing changes, capturing all of the majors, and beating every single competitor (and course) like only Tiger could do. It was an excellent read.

[Nolan Bowar · Rating 4 out of 5]

'96 Bulls but the entire team is made up of MJs.

And that wraps up my comparison of books to 90's Bulls teams. The Tiger Slam remains the greatest feat in sports history. Thanks for joining my TED Talk.

[Ryan McLean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Weirdly, the author reuses entire paragraphs? I thought I was having a stroke 2-3 times after reading something that felt familiar. Honestly, the book could be a lot shorter and it doesn’t introduce anything shockingly new if you know much about Tiger

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting learning about [one of?] the greatest golfer’s best year, especially after having just watched Rory complete the Grand Slam. The more I learn about the sport, the more amazed I am at the intricate details involved in being skilled at it.

[Benton W Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read for golf fans

The book is an easy page turner that gives great insight into Tiger’s mind and swing thoughts during the most dominant golf ever played. The author also included intriguing and interesting details from behind the scenes that were very intriguing.

[Mike O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much in here that you wouldn't already know if you were a fan at the time. If you weren't you'd enjoy it more than I did.


The author also has an odd way of describing golf shots that makes it seem like he's never played before. Nobody would ever describe golf the way he does

[Andre Montenegro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, had me hooked the whole time and I’m not even golfer! The author nailed how to keep each chapter captivating until the end and showed how amazing tiger woods is as a human being and why there’ll never be another like him.

[Brian Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for any golf lover or someone who remembers Tiger’s greatness during this era. Focused on golf and not his later problems. Loved it!

[Matthew Hartung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very easy read recalling a dominant period in Tiger Woods career that will most likely never be matched by any other athlete. Would recommend for any sports fan.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was only tangentially aware of Tiger’s dominance. This book really helped put it into perspective. And I really enjoyed all the bits of golf history throughout.

[Syon Bhanot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable but not a lot of details that fans don’t already know. Also (as often with golf books) some very odd ways to describe golf action that no serious golfer would ever say.

[Matthew Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to fathom the brilliance that Tiger exhibited on the course. It was a great time to be alive and witness his pure domination of a sport that is so hard to dominate!!

[Rob Duford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really do wish the narrators of golf books would do some research as to how to pronounce golfers’ names. This narrator mispronounces at least six different names.

[Evan Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatest golf ever played, indeed.

[Greg Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatest year ever by the greatest golfer ever

[Brion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this look back at that part of his career. Great job by Kevin Cook.

[Westin Pedigo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great recap of the major run Tiger went on and the details of shot by shot etc was very well written.