How early on did you realize you had someone very special in your hands?
Oh, from the start. The raw talent was unbelievable. I still have the films of him then, which Tiger hates to look at because he was only a skinny teenager. He probably hit the ball further then than he does now. The thing I admire about Tiger is his constant desire to get better. He’s like a sponge – he soaks up knowledge. He wants to learn, learn, learn. Think of his career: he changed his swing three times with me to make it better and he’s done it twice more with Hank [Haney, Tiger’s current coach]. And we’ll probably see a new swing when he gets back after injury. So his desire to get better is unlike anyone – and he was like that as a kid. He had the drive and ambition. He’s the greatest I’ve ever seen.
And you spent time with Hogan…
Yeah, my father and Hogan were great friends but Tiger is the best all-round golfer I’ve ever seen in my life. Human nature with the average player says that if there’s something they’re not very good at, they won’t practice it. They’ll only practice the things they’re good at. Tiger is the other way. He didn’t use to control the spin on his wedges very well – he had an ordinary wedge game and an ordinary bunker game. Now he’s one of the best wedge players in the world. He has so much control. He has the ability to turn a weakness into a strength by hard work and dedication.
Is that the X-factor? Dedication?
The thing that impressed me the most - which is what we don’t see with Michelle Wie who a lot of people like to compare with Tiger – is his will to win. Michelle Wie never won anything. She isn’t used to winning. Tiger won 6 USGA events – three junior amateurs and three amateurs – in a row. No-one has ever done that. What people don’t realize is that in every one of those final matches it went down to the last hole or extra holes – and Tiger won every won of them. He learned how to reach down inside himself and pull something out and get the job done. This is something you almost can’t teach. It’s his desire to compete and beat you. He does it in a nice way, but he just wants to cut your heart out. All the great champions had that and he had it from a very young age. You could see it in his eyes. His work ethic is incredible, and not just with his golf swing. He has more talent than anyone, he’s fitter than anyone, he’s smarter than anyone, he prepares better than anyone. He’s figured out the whole thing.
How disappointing was it when Tiger moved on to work with Hank Haney in 2003?
I wasn’t disappointed at all. If you’re the type of person who gets disappointed because your student leaves you, you’re in the wrong business. The best coaches in football get fired all the time. Same with baseball. We had 10 great years together. He’s a great kid and the fun part was watching him grow from being a young man to becoming the world number one. He’s funny and he has a quick sense of humour in the locker room; the guys like to be around him. He helped my image and he helped my career; I would be a fool to say otherwise.
Where do you think his performance at last year’s US Open – playing with a broken leg – ranks among his other major victories?
Only time will tell. The jury’s still out. It’s either going to be the most phenomenal feat in the history of the game or one of the dumbest things anyone has ever done in the history of golf. I mean if Tiger doesn’t come back as healthy has he was, then it wasn’t a very smart thing. This is his fourth surgery on his knee and the most extensive surgery they’ve had to do. Hopefully he comes back stronger than ever, because the game needs him. But what he did at Torrey Pines was a phenomenal thing.
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