Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season

by RobertLusetich (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2010

  $3.26

  Since his professional debut in 1996, Tiger Woods has reigned as the world's greatest living golfer, having singlehandledly increased the popularity of the game and become one of the most recognized faces in the world. His major knee surgery in 2008 and subsequent nine month absence from professional play raised questions about whether he would be able to return to the same level of play and fulfil his destiny that had before appeared all but assured. And more than just Tiger's legacy hung in the balance -- his continued winning was understood to be crucial for the entire sport, so the stakes were huge for fans, the pro tour, the networks, sponsors, not to mention all the individuals and businesses that make a living off golf. Robert Lusetich set out in January 2009 to follow Woods for the year. The only journalist to cover every tournament Tiger played, Lusetich interviewed tournament directors, agents, caddies, PGA Tour officials, sponsors, rival players and those inside Woods's camp, and has continued to cover Woods through the end of the season, including the subsequent scandal surrounding his marital infidelities. UNPLAYABLE is the definitive, comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at how the 2009 season unfolded for Woods, both personally and professionally. The book offers a richly compelling narrative of Tiger's victories and defeats -- all while conveying the untold story of the bitter rivalries and ongoing tensions among top players -- and explains how Woods managed to lead a double-life while dominating in one of the world's most competitive sports. Standing apart from all of the other reporting on the scandal to date, UNPLAYABLE gives much needed insight into how one of the world's most reclusive celebrities maintained a public persona at odds with his private life.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2010

  $3.26

  The definitive chronicle of the most stunning year in the legendary career of Tiger Woods, when the world's greatest golfer returned to competitive play following major knee surgery--only to have his personal life unravel in the public spotlight at year's end. Who is the real Tiger Woods? The unbeatable, indomitable, and ultimate competitor? The husband and father who cares more about his family than anything else? Or the supremely confident controller who thought fierce management of his image and those around him would allow him to lead a double life? In Unplayable, veteran journalist Robert Lusetich offers an in-depth look at the world's most recognizable yet least known athlete, Tiger Woods. Lusetich, who first interviewed Woods in the late 1990s and has written about him since 1996, was the only writer to cover every PGA Tour event the world's number one golfer played in 2009. Unplayable tells of the unfolding of Tiger's most pivotal season on the golf course-- with his first ever hiatuses from professional play--and provides extensive reporting and the backstory to show who the most elusive man in all of sports really is. Lusetich peels away the layers of the Woods persona to create a portrait that is neither unsympathetic nor hesitant to shed light on Tiger's shortcomings. This rich, insightful account reveals: what actually makes Woods the game's dominant player; how his upbringing influenced who he is today and how he has changed over time; and the nature of his relationships with his family, former and current friends, celebrity athletes, peers, coaches, sports agents, sponsors, and the media and public itself. Based on one-of-a-kind access, Unplayable is a gripping look at the man who changed golf and inspired more fans around the world than anyone else in the history of the sport.