Tiger Woods branded 'pathological narcissist' in new book that also claims the millionaire was very stingy: 'He paid his coach just $50k a year'
Former Sports Illustrated writer, John Garrity, who first met Tiger Woods as a teenager, has labeled the golfing icon a "pathological narcissist" in a new book about the golfer's rise and fall, and subsequent comeback.
Garrity, who has written for Sports Illustrated since the 1980s, made the comments in a shocking new biography by Curt Sampson titled 'Roaring Back: The Fall and Rise of Tiger Woods', which was released earlier this week.
Woods looked at all of his relationships as transactional, according to Garrity. He said, "If you couldn't help him achieve his goals, he had no use for you. He'd walk past and look right through you."
Garrity says Woods was modest when they first met in 1992, however, by 2007, the golfer had changed drastically.
In his book, Sampson paints Woods in a new light, alleging that he was stringent with money and was known to be a bad tipper.
At the height of his career, Woods only paid Hank Haney, his coach from 2004 to 2010, just $50,000 a year. Haney even had to pay for his own travel expenses and accommodation while on the road with his client.
In contrast, Woods made more than $700 million between those years, an income that included money from endorsement deals, investments, and licensing fees, in addition to prize money.
Sampson claims that Woods' behavior was influenced by his father, Earl, who felt that he was "personally selected by God himself to nurture this young man."
One Country Club owner who hosted the father-son duo twice is quoted in Sampson's book as saying, "they assumed we'd buy them breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which we did, but they were most unappreciative."
Sampson also writes about Woods' intentions to become a Navy SEAL. The golfer began training with a special ops unit in 2007 and took part in combat drills, parachute jumps, and diving exercises. Woods was then 31 years old and was past the SEAL recruiting age limit, which was capped at 28.
However, according to Sampson, Woods believed that the military would make an exception for him.
Two years later, in 2009, multiple allegations of Woods' extramarital affairs came out, which led to divorce from his wife of seven years, Elin Nordegren. His game collapsed and he lost many endorsement deals, including with TAG Heuer and General Motors. "He fell from such a high place that he was halfway to earth before we mere mortals even recognized him as one of us," Sampson wrote.
However, 'Roaring Back' also tracks Woods' growth from there and how the golfer managed to rehabilitate his game and image in recent months.
Woods won his fifth Masters title earlier this year. In May, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump.
Sampson writes that Woods' return to form coincides with a stark change in his personality and states that Woods is more measured and respectful.
Woods' close friend and former basketball player Michael Jordan said after Woods' win this year, "It's the greatest comeback I've ever seen."
