Woods' former coach and renowned golf instructor Hank Haney is set to release a book about his relationship with the former world No. 1 golfer next month, and it's expected to offer an in-depth look at one of the most private athletes in the world.
Apparently, Haney writes, it also reveals that Woods almost gave it all up to join the Navy SEALs.
"Tiger was seriously becoming a Navy SEAL," Haney writes. "I didn't know how he'd go about it, but when he talked about it, it was clear he had a plan. … I thought, 'Wow, here is Tiger Woods, greatest athlete on the planet, maybe the greatest athlete ever, right in the middle of his prime, basically ready to leave it all behind for a military life.
"The only thing that probably rivals it in sports history is Michael Jordan leaving basketball to play minor-league baseball. Although Tiger ultimately didn’t enlist, the lengths he went to to make a SEALs career a real possibility still stun me."
Woods grew up with military ties, as his father, Earl Woods, served in the U.S. Army for two decades serving in the Vietnam War.
Haney added that Woods spent plenty of time with SEALs, and he incorporated things that he took from those meetings his training.
"Tiger did two tandem parachute jumps, engaged in hand-to-hand combat exercises, went on four-mile runs wearing combat boots, and did drills in a wind tunnel."
Haney and others believed that Woods' fanatical workout routines may have played a part in lingering injury issues.
"Tiger loved [the workouts], but his physical therapist, Keith Kleven, went a little crazy worrying about the further damage Tiger might be doing to his left knee. … One morning I was in the kitchen when he came back from a long run around Isleworth, and I notice he was wearing Army boots. Tiger admitted that he'd worn the heavy shoes before on the same route. 'I beat my best time,' he said."
Woods' representation has disputed the claims that the golfer toyed with the idea of becoming a SEAL.
"Hank Haney's claim that his book about golf is clearly false," Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, told FOXSports.com. "His armchair psychology about Tiger, on matters he admits they didn't even discuss, is ridiculous. Because of his father, it's no secret that Tiger has always had high respect for the military, so for Haney to twist that admiration into something negative is disrespectful.
"The disruptive timing of this book shows that Haney's self-promotion is more important to him than any other person or tournament. What he's written about violates the trust between a coach and player and someone also once considered a friend."
Haney's book is set to be released March 27, a week before play begins at The Masters.
