Tiger wanted to quit for army career, says coach
FORMER world No1 Tiger Woods considered walking away from the game that made him the highest-earning sportsperson in the world for a humble career in the army, according to his former coach.
Hank Haney says 14-time Major winner Woods, whose father Earl fought for the United States in Vietnam, made plans to quit and join the elite Navy Seals while at the peak of his powers.
“I didn’t know how he’d go about it, but when he talked about it, it was clear he had a plan,” former swing coach Haney writes in his new book.
“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.’”
Woods has since endured a spectacular fall from grace, splitting from his wife following allegations of mass infidelity and dropping out of the world’s top 50. The 36-year-old, who last won a Major in summer 2008, has shown signs of recovery in recent months, winning his first tournament for more than two years in December and climbing back into the rankings top 20.