Q: Why did you decide to write this new book about Tiger
Woods?
A: Tiger’s win at the Masters in April was so enormously
popular that TV ratings records weren’t just broken, they were shattered. Among
other things, this book provides instant nostalgia.
Q: You've written many books about golf--did you need to do
much research to write this one, and did you learn anything especially
fascinating while working on the book?
A: This is my second book on Tiger. The first—Chasing Tiger—provided me with a baseline knowledge about this very interesting man.
Surprises? I re-discovered how hard he works and works out,
and how very far he fell. All the way to laughing-stock territory.
A: Workouts don’t stop the ageing process or prevent
arthritis in surgically repaired knees and spines.
That said, TW seems to be in a happy place now in his
personal life, and that will help a lot in everything he does. He says he’s
planning yet another ghost-written memoir, but introspection has not been
Tiger’s long suit up to now.
Q: How would you compare Tiger Woods to other golfers you've
written about?
A: Can’t help comparing Woods to [Ben] Hogan, the patron saint of
the practice tee, who also engineered a very unlikely comeback. I compared
Tiger’s redemption story to a handful of others—including survivors of cancer,
a plane crash, a bullet to the head, and scandal--in Roaring Back.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now I’m finishing my first novel. After writing 18
nonfiction books, it feels as different as hockey to figure skating. I’m on
thin ice, as usual.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’d like your readers to know that Roaring Back is a fun
read even for non-golfers. And I thank you!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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