Does a young man of twenty years of age deserve a 70,000 word biography is the question Rosaforte raises. His answer is a resounding yes as he presents before the phenomenal rise of golf's greatest champion of all time. He tracks the early career of Woods from his Junior Golf years all the way up to his 1997 victory at the Masters. Through his journalism you get a comprehensive overview of his career.

Rosaforte divides his book into three sections which entail a biographical sketch of Woods' parents and their impact on him. His second section is devoted to his wins in junior golf, high school and college. Finally we deal with Tiger coming out on his own by turning professional. As one of the first biographical books on Woods, the author does a decent job in giving us insight on this remarkable golfer.

I would caution readers to not look at this book as the "definitive" work about Woods. Rosaforte admits that he didn't have the help of the Woods family in compiling his work. In many instances the author's voice takes on a self-serving attitude as if his writing is responsible for taking Woods to greater heights. Although he shares with us little known facts about Woods such as his mugging at Stanford and problems with the NCAA regarding his eligibility, we are left without a clue about the young man himself. His golf achievements and statistical records are reported but what is absent is the inner life of Woods and little interpretation as to his importance for golf's future years. Perhaps Tiger and his family were wise not to work with the reporter.

Regardless of those faults Rosaforte's book is worth having in terms of getting some insight about Woods as a champion golfer. In this area the author does a great service but as a biographer he falls short of the task. Obtain this book as a collector's item on one of Golf's finest players.


A Very Well Written Book   February 22, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Although the story dragged in the beginning, I found the book Tiger Woods The Makings Of A Champion very interesting and entertaining. It was also a very well written book. It struck me with awe when I read that Tiger started swinging a golf club at 10 months. The book also shows people how hard Tiger's childhood was. That he couldn't even play at some golf courses because he was black. It showed how great a golfer Tiger Woods is, and how he could possibly be the player of the future.


Insights into Pre-Dominant Tiger   February 1, 2001
rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States)
Rosaforte is one of the very astute watchers and commentators on the PGA Tour. He admits here that much is rehash of publicity we've all heard over and over. Yet, he places it into the context of what has and was going on inside Tiger's family and circle during his transition from college player to pro.

I found this valuable towards how one views this amazing talent, especially his views of parents and how his fellow competitors accepted him from the start. The personal insights here are well worth the read. We all now know what Tiger did about fulfilling some of the potential spoken of here prophetically.

His continued climb into golf's greatness will be more easily framed and understood with this foundational look.