If golf was too tough for him . . .

Early in the 1990s, when I was nothing but a kid reporter thrilled to be writing about sports for a living (nothing has really changed, except my age), I had the fortune of being able to watch Anaheim Western High’s Tiger Woods hit golf balls at the Los Coyotes Golf Course driving range with his teammates. . . .

I was there to do a story on Woods for the now-defunct daily Anaheim Bulletin. . . .

Days after the story ran, I felt like I had a decent bond with Tiger, and I had another good one in mind. Since Sports Illustrated had just run a piece on him, I asked if he’d be willing to give the local readers “Tiger’s 10 tips for a better golf game.”

“No,” he answered. “The game’s too hard.”

Lance Pugmire