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The 1997 Masters: My Story
To mark the twentieth anniversary of his historic win at the 1997 Masters, Tiger Woods will for the first time reflect on the record-setting win both on and off the course.
In 1997, Tiger Woods was already among the most-watched and closely examined athletes in history. But it wasn't until the Masters Tournament that his career would definitively change forever. Woods, then only 21, won the Masters by a historic 12 shots, which remains the widest margin of victory in the tournament's history, making it an iconic moment for him and sports.
Now, 20 years later, Woods is ready to explore his history with the game, how it has changed over the years, and what it was like winning such an important event. With never-before-heard stories, this book will provide keen insight from one of the game's all-time greats.
In 1997, Tiger Woods was already among the most-watched and closely examined athletes in history. But it wasn't until the Masters Tournament that his career would definitively change forever. Woods, then only 21, won the Masters by a historic 12 shots, which remains the widest margin of victory in the tournament's history, making it an iconic moment for him and sports.
Now, 20 years later, Woods is ready to explore his history with the game, how it has changed over the years, and what it was like winning such an important event. With never-before-heard stories, this book will provide keen insight from one of the game's all-time greats.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published March 20, 2017
68 people are currently reading
826 people want to read
About the author
Tiger Woods
33 books48 followersTiger Woods (born Eldrick Tiger Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, he was the highest-paid professional athlete in 2007, having earned an estimated $122 million from winnings and endorsements. According to Golf Digest, Woods made $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007, and the magazine predicts that by 2010, Woods will become the world's first athlete to pass one billion dollars in earnings.
Woods has won fourteen professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player, and 65 PGA Tour events, third all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour.
Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record nine times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus' record of leading the money list in eight different seasons. He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, and is the only person to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once.
Woods, who is multiracial, is credited with prompting a major surge of interest in the game of golf. He dramatically increased attendance and TV ratings and generated interest among a multicultural audience in a game that used to be considered insular and elitist.
After winning the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods is sitting out the rest of the 2008 PGA Tour, missing two major championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup, in order to concentrate on the rehabilitation of his injured left knee.
Woods has won fourteen professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player, and 65 PGA Tour events, third all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour.
Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record nine times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus' record of leading the money list in eight different seasons. He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, and is the only person to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once.
Woods, who is multiracial, is credited with prompting a major surge of interest in the game of golf. He dramatically increased attendance and TV ratings and generated interest among a multicultural audience in a game that used to be considered insular and elitist.
After winning the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods is sitting out the rest of the 2008 PGA Tour, missing two major championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup, in order to concentrate on the rehabilitation of his injured left knee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
June 21, 2019
I received this as an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway and for that, Thank You. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm letting you know up front, I'm not a golfer (unless you count Putt-Putt, and then I'm still not considered a golfer.)
Overall, I give this book 4 stars even though I found some sections as dry as a sand bunker. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories about the relationship between Tiger and his parents. They were personal, heartfelt and well-written (5 stars). The rest, not so much. Describing e-v-e-r-y single stroke was a bit technical (remember, I'm not a golfer) and it felt rather forced. I found it completely lacking in passion for the game. At times, my eyes would glaze over and I thought I'd never finish (2 stars at best).
Now, if you are under 18, find yourself of a genteel nature, swoon over the mere thought of a locker room joke, or are a far left-leaning liberal who finds the word ‘offensive' offensive (spelling notwithstanding) because you think it's cultural appropriation of fish or a microaggression against people from Finland, it's best to stop reading here. Now. Period. The End.
If you are still reading, I will assume you are over 18, a more mature audience (or perhaps less mature depending on your definition of mature), have a sense of humor, know how to read between the lines, are the master of your imagination, know how to use the Urban dictionary and/or, still assuming, you might actually know the meaning of double entendre. If this is not you, my advice, once again, is to stop reading here. Now. Period. The End.
Still here? Great. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your definition of fortune) I found the only way I could wedge my way out of the bunker was to add the letter "t" to the end of tee (or plural, teets, Danish spelling)...obviously using the Urban dictionary definition. Same with driver, putter and balls (use your imagination..you know, the one in the gutter). Playing through these holes in an otherwise good story with your mind in the gutter vs. the bunker was quite humorous (5 stars for forcing me to use my imagination). Some of Tiger's descriptions were spot-on from the erotica genre that I found myself wondering if this was his intent. If so, meowoww, you go Tiger! If not, I apologize and hope you are not offended (but remember, I made it purrfectly clear you should stop reading...twice!)
Using old school math, I added 5+2+5=12 / 3= 4 stars. If, however, common core is your pleasure, I have no idea how to rate this book. For all I know, it should receive a rating of 525, or 69
5+1=6
5+5-1=9 (or some weird math crap I have yet to understand)....or perhaps just 5 stars because everybody gets a trophy these days, or in this case, a green jacket (sarcasm).
Sincerely proud of Tiger’s latest Master’s win after a rough couple of years. The green jacket was well-deserved and much respect is due to his amazing comeback. He has proven once again that he is The Master of the game and that hard work and perseverance pay off. With that said, he really should stick with his day job.
Overall, I give this book 4 stars even though I found some sections as dry as a sand bunker. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories about the relationship between Tiger and his parents. They were personal, heartfelt and well-written (5 stars). The rest, not so much. Describing e-v-e-r-y single stroke was a bit technical (remember, I'm not a golfer) and it felt rather forced. I found it completely lacking in passion for the game. At times, my eyes would glaze over and I thought I'd never finish (2 stars at best).
Now, if you are under 18, find yourself of a genteel nature, swoon over the mere thought of a locker room joke, or are a far left-leaning liberal who finds the word ‘offensive' offensive (spelling notwithstanding) because you think it's cultural appropriation of fish or a microaggression against people from Finland, it's best to stop reading here. Now. Period. The End.
If you are still reading, I will assume you are over 18, a more mature audience (or perhaps less mature depending on your definition of mature), have a sense of humor, know how to read between the lines, are the master of your imagination, know how to use the Urban dictionary and/or, still assuming, you might actually know the meaning of double entendre. If this is not you, my advice, once again, is to stop reading here. Now. Period. The End.
Still here? Great. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your definition of fortune) I found the only way I could wedge my way out of the bunker was to add the letter "t" to the end of tee (or plural, teets, Danish spelling)...obviously using the Urban dictionary definition. Same with driver, putter and balls (use your imagination..you know, the one in the gutter). Playing through these holes in an otherwise good story with your mind in the gutter vs. the bunker was quite humorous (5 stars for forcing me to use my imagination). Some of Tiger's descriptions were spot-on from the erotica genre that I found myself wondering if this was his intent. If so, meowoww, you go Tiger! If not, I apologize and hope you are not offended (but remember, I made it purrfectly clear you should stop reading...twice!)
Using old school math, I added 5+2+5=12 / 3= 4 stars. If, however, common core is your pleasure, I have no idea how to rate this book. For all I know, it should receive a rating of 525, or 69
5+1=6
5+5-1=9 (or some weird math crap I have yet to understand)....or perhaps just 5 stars because everybody gets a trophy these days, or in this case, a green jacket (sarcasm).
Sincerely proud of Tiger’s latest Master’s win after a rough couple of years. The green jacket was well-deserved and much respect is due to his amazing comeback. He has proven once again that he is The Master of the game and that hard work and perseverance pay off. With that said, he really should stick with his day job.
March 30, 2017
(1 1/2). I have a strong connection to Tiger Woods. He was born the same day and same year as my Daughter. I have followed his career from just about that clip on the Mike Douglas show (some of you will know what I am referring to). I even chatted with him and his Dad when I sat next to them on a plane when he was going to play in the U. S. Amateur at the age of 16. This book is totally self indulgent, by design. If you are not a real golf nut, there is very little here. Tiger is one of the most important athletes of his generation. His celebrity is well established. His openness and candor are controlled, contained and manipulated to a fault. This book certainly reinforces that. If you are a golf person or a Tiger person it is a good read. Otherwise, meh!
May 11, 2017
Woods provides a detailed play by play of the 97 Masters win. The details of the competition were not very compelling to an average golf spectator. However, Woods insights into the strategies of golf are fascinating. After 1997, the golf world started to quickly tiger-proof courses to accommodate longer drives. In addition to the play by play, Tiger writes a very personal look at his career over the last 20 years since the 1997 Masters.
April 27, 2017
By 1997, Tiger Woods had already become a well-known golfer thanks to his outstanding amateur career. But that year, when he won the Masters by 12 strokes, his career and personal life took a different turn that would drastically change both of those lives for him. On the 20th anniversary of that historic tournament, Woods decided to share the story of that tourney and what it meant to him and his family.
Readers who want to learn more about Woods’ personal scandals or hear him speak out on racial issue will be disappointed as he only calls his divorce and subsequent scandal personal mistakes and instead of speaking out on social issues, his talk about race is gratitude and appreciation for black golfers who suffered through discrimination in the game and broke through the color barrier the Augusta National Course. These include golfers such as Charlie Sifford and Lee Elder, the latter being the first black golfer to play in the Masters in 1975.
The most personal Woods gets is frequent stories about his parents – and in the book, his mother receives as much credit and love from Woods as does his father. Most stories fans read only talks about Woods’ relationship with his father, but in this book he opens up about the relationships with his mother as well.
The bulk of the book is about golf. There are stories about that week in the Masters of course, but he also shares stories about playing practice rounds with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, his current golf business and much discussion on technique and equipment. Casual golf fans may be lost in the talk of angles of putters or snap-hooked drives into the trees, but for me, this was terrific. A reader can learn a lot about the game by listening to these segments, which come in the sequences about the 1997 Masters itself as well as the parts outside the tourney.
The reader will follow Woods shot by shot, hole by hole for the entire tourney and I loved listening to Scott Van Pelt’s voice describing the scene and Woods’ thoughts as he wrote them. The end of the book when he describes how today golf is all about how long the players can hit is a perfect transition to illustrate the differences between his win 20 years ago and the game now. Golf enthusiasts should add this to their libraries, regardless of their fandom of Woods. The tourney was a historic one and this first-hand account from the winner of that Masters is one to treasure.
Readers who want to learn more about Woods’ personal scandals or hear him speak out on racial issue will be disappointed as he only calls his divorce and subsequent scandal personal mistakes and instead of speaking out on social issues, his talk about race is gratitude and appreciation for black golfers who suffered through discrimination in the game and broke through the color barrier the Augusta National Course. These include golfers such as Charlie Sifford and Lee Elder, the latter being the first black golfer to play in the Masters in 1975.
The most personal Woods gets is frequent stories about his parents – and in the book, his mother receives as much credit and love from Woods as does his father. Most stories fans read only talks about Woods’ relationship with his father, but in this book he opens up about the relationships with his mother as well.
The bulk of the book is about golf. There are stories about that week in the Masters of course, but he also shares stories about playing practice rounds with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, his current golf business and much discussion on technique and equipment. Casual golf fans may be lost in the talk of angles of putters or snap-hooked drives into the trees, but for me, this was terrific. A reader can learn a lot about the game by listening to these segments, which come in the sequences about the 1997 Masters itself as well as the parts outside the tourney.
The reader will follow Woods shot by shot, hole by hole for the entire tourney and I loved listening to Scott Van Pelt’s voice describing the scene and Woods’ thoughts as he wrote them. The end of the book when he describes how today golf is all about how long the players can hit is a perfect transition to illustrate the differences between his win 20 years ago and the game now. Golf enthusiasts should add this to their libraries, regardless of their fandom of Woods. The tourney was a historic one and this first-hand account from the winner of that Masters is one to treasure.
October 18, 2020
A powerful story on the challenges of the first minority winner at Augusta National and a deep rooted message on passion, family, and love for the game of golf.
June 6, 2017
Disappointing in every sense of the word. I read this novel after reading Hank Haney's dull tell-all "A Big Miss" last year, so I had higher expectations for this book because I thought that it couldn't be worse than that book. I was wrong. It's only about 250 pages but it feels like 550. The writing is flat out bad. I've seen better writing from 10 year old children. It was painful to read this, I forced myself to keep reading because I was under the illusion it might get better. What I'm only now realizing is that writing this bad plagues every page like a virus. This would've been a good Sports Illustrated article because it doesn't work as a full length novel. Tiger is one of my favorite athletes and I thought his historic 1997 Masters victory would've been compelling enough to keep my attention for merely 240 pages. I was wrong, again. The authors try to infuse tension about the tournament but fail. We already knows who won the tournament. Tiger and his ghost writer do not know how to string thoughts together competently. There is constant jumping around between ideas and reiterating of points that were just made. A lot of the time the authors aren't even focusing on the titular tournament. I love Tiger but trust me when I say you aren't missing anything here with this jumbled mess of a book.
July 31, 2017
There was a time on the planet Earth that Tiger Woods was the most dominant athlete of not just golf but arguably any sport. My interest in golf was nonexistent before Tiger, being too young to understand the sport, and it didn't really exist after Tiger stopped being so dominant.
So its almost strange to read The 1997 Masters and realize we have come upon the 20th anniversary of it this year.
It is a strange read in the sense of you can tell the areas that Tiger is particularly passionate writing about in the book that clocks in at less than 250 pages. Tiger seems most at home discussing the more technical aspects of the sport, including the golf courses. Otherwise it feels at times that hes simply going through the motions, and the tangents seem to reflect that.
Overall if you enjoy golf or find Tiger to be an interesting person to read about then you should get something out of this.
I would give it 2.5 stars, but it rounded up to 3 for somehow making it readable enough for me to get through a book about golf.
So its almost strange to read The 1997 Masters and realize we have come upon the 20th anniversary of it this year.
It is a strange read in the sense of you can tell the areas that Tiger is particularly passionate writing about in the book that clocks in at less than 250 pages. Tiger seems most at home discussing the more technical aspects of the sport, including the golf courses. Otherwise it feels at times that hes simply going through the motions, and the tangents seem to reflect that.
Overall if you enjoy golf or find Tiger to be an interesting person to read about then you should get something out of this.
I would give it 2.5 stars, but it rounded up to 3 for somehow making it readable enough for me to get through a book about golf.
July 5, 2017
As a lifelong student of sports psychology it was great to get into Tigers mindset of what he needed more of these two, physical or mental skill. It's a fine mix however, without the mental skills, as Colin Montgomerie will now probably admit, your physical talent will only take you so far. There is clearly a mental gift shared among multiple major winners that Tiger shares with us. He deftly recants stories about Jack, Arnie, Gary Player and Ben Hogan who were some of golfs, and sports, most fierce competitors. Sadly I must confess that as I was reading this book I had the strong sense that it was Tigers so long to PGA tour golf. In my mind his 11 year stretch front 1997-2008 should be considered the best of all time. Tiger dominated with the old equipment and the new equipment and did it in record breaking fashion. There may never be another golfer as gifted as he at dominating a field of the worlds best golfers and leaving them in his wake.
March 30, 2018
When Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters he created a sensation as he became not only the youngest to win a Masters but also by such a wide margin of nine strokes. It is no wonder that of the 14 majors he had won Tiger has chosen to focus on this for his book.
The book is an easy read and provides golf enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the 2018 Masters, which is only less than a month away, a closer and more intimate understanding of each of the 18 holes on the Augusta course.
The book also highlighted to some extent the thought processes and mental makeup of Tiger Woods when he is in a tournament.
A small snag in the book is the tendency for much facts to be repeated.
The book is an easy read and provides golf enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the 2018 Masters, which is only less than a month away, a closer and more intimate understanding of each of the 18 holes on the Augusta course.
The book also highlighted to some extent the thought processes and mental makeup of Tiger Woods when he is in a tournament.
A small snag in the book is the tendency for much facts to be repeated.
August 6, 2017
This was interesting, but nothing earth-shattering or surprising here. Fun to relive his historic 1997 win, but not a ton of detail other than some discussion about his mental preparation. I think the most fascinating part of the book was the end, where he talked in detail about his opinions of the changes to Augusta National over the years and how they impact the players. (Note - I listened to the audiobook)
June 29, 2018
Tiger's reflections 20 years later on his remarkable first Masters victory by 12 (12!!!) strokes. Insights on his preparations and utilization of unique physical skills at a time when golf hadn't yet evolved to its current athletic heights (used fairway speed bumps and driving length to treat all par 5s as par 4s). Unfortunately poorly ghost written, with some emotional messages falling very flat.
June 12, 2020
Tiger Woods' writing style offers a glimpse into why he dominated golf in a way no one has before. While the inside-the-course stories are really cool, the description of the rounds can be tedious for those who aren't die-hard golf fans. Nevertheless, there are portions where Woods hints at some of the other parts of his career that have made him one of the most famous and infamous golfers of all time. A full memoir would be warmly welcomed.
May 7, 2017
I'll own every book written about Tiger Woods, as I currently do, but his writing style, himself, is lacking. If you've read any book on Tiger most of the asides in this book you've already read.
His detailed descriptions of the course, and his way around it, is very good but there could have been more. 227 pages and not very dense.
His detailed descriptions of the course, and his way around it, is very good but there could have been more. 227 pages and not very dense.
January 20, 2019
I love Tiger & have read several biographies, some authorized and some not, all interesting reads. This book is very insightful as to how Tiger looks at a course and provides a detailed play by play for how he approached each hole in ‘97. Not the most thrilling read, but if your love Tiger or Augusta National you’ll enjoy this read.
January 12, 2021
Shortly after graduating high school in 96 I picked up golf. I was never that good but I loved playing. Ultimately it was just too costly for me to continue and that interferes with drinking and going to clubs. Young and dumb.
But I remember watching this Masters and even had the vhs of the 97 masters highlights that I would watch almost every day.
Hearing Tiger’s detailed explanation of the weeks events was very interesting if you’re a golf fan and a Tiger fan.
But I remember watching this Masters and even had the vhs of the 97 masters highlights that I would watch almost every day.
Hearing Tiger’s detailed explanation of the weeks events was very interesting if you’re a golf fan and a Tiger fan.
November 10, 2017
I expected more from this book, but it's still a good insight into Tiger's experience. Confusing at time, the storytelling could be better, but the awesomness of the story still makes for an interesting read!
July 23, 2018
20 years after the legendary golfer put up an improbable, impossible and inconceivable win at Augusta National in Georgia, and now suffering in spinal fusion, talks about his experience and what to look forward to his future in breaking records.
February 16, 2020
Really enjoyed this read. Very well written and sincere. You mostly get a feel for Tiger’s thoughts behind the game, but there are some very enjoyable personal elements included as well. I can’t wait to read this one again when I have a better understanding of the game.
December 11, 2020
I would prefer giving the book 3.5 stars, but I can't. It is a solid read, decently fast moving. If you are looking for Tiger to provide some incredible insight, he does and he doesn't. Overall, solid golf book, but it does leave you wanting a bit more about Tiger and his overall make up.
September 1, 2022
Easy quick book. Similar to one or two others that I have read about Tiger. If you are a golf lover, this one is a must. He takes deep dive into the evolution of the ball and how it has changed the game, enjoyed that viewpoint for sure.
September 26, 2022
I've been a Tiger Woods fan for years, so there's that. But the book was engaging. I liked finding out how he thinks about golf; how intense he is and intelligent. There is much golf detail here, so if you're not a golf fan, you probably would not like the book.
April 9, 2025
If you don’t know anything about golf, or are expecting to learn the secrets of Tiger Woods, you’ll hate this book. The majority is about one tournament, which I found fascinating! Interesting to get into the mind of the GOAT of golf.
September 5, 2017
Super interesting look at Tiger back when he was Tiger and how he thinks about the game of golf.
December 28, 2017
The golf side of the story was intriguing; the tepid, uninspired commentary from Tiger erects a facade squarely in front of truth.
January 18, 2018
I miss the Tiger days of yore.
February 6, 2020
LOVE YOU T W. EVEN THROUGH THE FALL 👏🏾♥️😇😎
June 2, 2020
It was fine - not very revealing (not a surprise) but some interesting nuggets in there about the experiences he had in 1997 and also the 20 years after that.
February 26, 2021
Tiger talk a lot more than just 1997. More about his whole life than that one year
May 17, 2022
I enjoyed the stories, but since I don’t golf, not so much the club/shot play-by-play
December 17, 2023
I'm not a golfer so a lot of the info went over my head.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews