The day I met Tiger Woods was his best day ever on a golf course. The Sunday before the 1997 Masters. He'd just shot a practice-round 59, including a hole-in-one, at Isleworth, his home course in Orlando. He asked me to come up with a catch phrase ... just for him.

Now, it's usually poeple you meet at airports and malls who want you to single them out on SportsCenter. Not world-class athletes. But that's Tiger: real; genuine.

During the downtime between questions and photo shoots for this interview, conducted in May, Tiger, his buddy Greg Nared and I decided to have some fun. Friendly wagers on informal putting and chipping contests. Like this: Tiger gets one shot to sand-wedge a ball into a trash can 20 feet away; Greg and I get five chances. (FYI, I lost a buck when Tiger actually banked his shot off an iron beam behind the can, then ... in!)

Earlier in the day, when I was doing some putting, the word "tragic" was mentioned. Tiger didn't miss a beat. "Tragic like Stuart's putting stroke?" he asked, busting on me just like one of my boys. Which is what Tiger Woods is ... just one of the guys. Who happens to be able to hit a golf ball 300 yards. Straight.

Oh yeah, if you've ever heard me say, "I'm feeling you" on the air, it started with Tiger. That's his catch phrase. -- Stuart Scott

***

SS: A lot of people say Tiger is in a slump. He's slumped off. But in the first 29 tournaments of your career, you had six wins and 14 top 10s and you won $2.8 million. For this supposed slump of yours, in your last 30 starts you have just two wins but you have 19 top 10s and $3.1 million. Are you a better golfer now than you were then?

TW: Yeah. I'm a lot better golfer. It's just that, unfortunately, I'm not hitting the shots at the right time. But overall, my swing, my game, my thought process is just so much better.

SS: If you could only have one of these, which would you take? Your first 29 tournaments with ridiculous galleries and six wins? Or the last 30 -- fewer wins, but more top 10s and more money?

TW: I would say the second. If you look at my scoring early on, yes I won six times and I did play well, but I also had some pretty high rounds. When I didn't finish in the top 10, I was finishing 50th and way on down the road. Now, if I'm not playing well, I'm still able to score and hang in there and give myself a chance to win. It may be that I'm not winning, but I'm close. Over the long haul, being a better player, you win more tournaments.

SS: Everybody talks about this rivalry you have with David Duval. Do you want that kind of rivalry, kind of like Nicklaus and Palmer?

TW: I think it would be pretty cool if it pans out that way. But there are so many good young players around the world. It's very difficult for two players nowadays to separate themselves beyond everybody else. It can happen. Will it happen? I don't know. Only time will tell.

SS: David took No.1 from you. You had it for, what, 40 straight weeks? Does it bother you that you're not No. 1? You're a competitor.

TW: I am competitive. And to be No. 1 is great. I was there. And to be No. 2, where I am now, or 3, wherever, is fine too. But I think the most important thing to me is winning tournaments. I love winning. It's like asking MJ if he liked finishing second. It's unheard of.

SS: The quote then was, "Second place sucks."

TW: It does. I don't know one guy that likes to lose. What I said was the truth. And a lot of people don't like to hear the truth.

SS: But you got a lot of flak back then. Would you say that again?

TW: I would say it again. Because I believe it. We tee it up to win. If you don't win, what else is there? You lost. Somebody else beat you.

SS: So why did people come down on you so hard for saying that?

TW: Probably because they had never heard it said before in golf. Golf people are subdued and pretty mellow. (Very softly) And ... they ... talk ... like ... this. Golf needs personality. People say that back in the day, golf had personalities and it was great. But now when you get a little personality out there, they don't want to hear about it. It's kind of ironic.

SS: Regarding you and David Duval again, since you turned pro you have missed one cut. In that same time, Duval has missed 14. Is that a source of pride with you? On Thursday and Friday, if you shoot 74-74, you may make the cut but probably can't win the tournament.

TW: The source of the pride is that I gave it everything I had. Every ounce of effort, every round. If I do that, I won't miss too many cuts in my career. I also feel I am never out of a tournament. Remember, in San Diego this year at the Buick Invitational, I barely made the cut but then shot 62-65 over the weekend to win.

***

SS: You've been known to curse when you hit a bad putt sometimes. People come down on you for that. Do you look back and think, "I shouldn't have said that?"

TW: I do wish I hadn't said those things. But that's just the heat of the moment. It would be interesting to hear miked football players after some of those hits they take. I'll try not to say those things. But that doesn't mean I won't. They might pop up now and then. (Laughs) SS: After an article on you appeared in GQ, you apologized for telling a few off-color jokes. But some people, including me, read the article and thought, "Tiger's cool. I'd like to hang out with him." Why did you feel you had to apologize for just being a 21-year-old kid?

TW: I took a lot of flak for that. A lot of it was behind my back. I didn't know the limousine guy was miked, and told all the jokes. But it's part of the deal. We all joke around. We say things we don't mean. I was just trying to be funny, but it didn't come across that way in the article.

***

SS: Everybody knows you're under a microscope. If MJ scored 32 and the Bulls won, but he shot 11-for-33, he would come out and say, "I didn't have my best game today." You win a tournament and say, "I only had my B game." And people come down on you for that. Why?

TW: Maybe because I'm young. Maybe because they weren't used to somebody admitting that he didn't play well but still won. And it doesn't make the other pros feel good that someone else played not great golf but beat them. I've asked Jack, "How many tournaments did you play great in your career and win?" He said only a handful. The other times he didn't play that well but got the breaks at the right time, or guys would make mistakes, or he'd make a putt or two here and there. That's what I did. When I said I won with my B game, I meant that I didn't play well but I managed my game well. I got up and down and I scored. That's what people don't understand. I explained the whole thing but the media took out a specific part of it and sensationalized it. That's part of dealing with the media.

SS: Do you get tired of "You da man!" on your tee shot?

TW: It bugs me if I hit a bad shot. Or when people scream out, "Great shot!" and I see the ball going right into the water.

SS: Do people ever shout when you are just about to hit?

TW: Sometimes they time it a little early. It almost cost me the tournament in San Diego this year when I won.

SS: The photographer.

TW: It was an elderly gentleman who took a picture with his own camera. And cameras are not allowed on the golf course. He got me right on my downswing in transition. I flinched and hit it straight left into the trees. Now if I would have lost the tournament, that's a lot of money to lose.

SS: And we showed it constantly on SportsCenter. We showed you pointing at the guy. Would you do that again? Handle it that way?

TW: He almost cost me a golf tournament!

SS: When you are 80 years old and doing that traditional first shot off the tee at Augusta, will you still be Tiger Woods or will it be Eldrick?

TW: It'll be Tiger. No doubt about it. It's me. It's my personality. And it's also my name.

SS: An 80-year-old Tiger at the 2056 Masters?

TW: If I have a good enough career ... I'd like the chance to start off the Masters. Or sit at the par-3 tournament and shake everybody's hand like Byron Nelson does. That's pretty cool.

***

SS: This year's U.S. Open is at Pinehurst. It's Bermuda grass, a different rough than you are used to. The course is probably the least tricked-up of recent U.S. Open sites and has wider fairways. How do you prepare for a tournament like that as opposed to others?

TW: You know that you are going to have to be patient. You know you are going to miss fairways. You know you're going to make physical mistakes. But if you can walk away after 72 holes without any mental mistakes, you should have a pretty good chance of winning.

SS: Do you like that Bermuda rough?

TW: (Laughing) I do but I don't. It depends on how thick it is. If it's lush, then it will be pretty tough. The ball settles down in the bottom and you're going to struggle a little bit. Then again, you can get some good lies to hit flyers that get to the green. But U.S. Open greens are going to be fast and hard. Pinehurst has dome greens, so any shot coming in with no spin is going to roll off the bank and down the hill. A tough time making pars. That to me is a true test. That's what it's all about.

***

SS: True or false: You said, "I'm not proud of it, but I lead the Tour in National Enquirer covers."

TW: It's true. I said that.

SS: That sucks.

TW: (Laughs) But it's true. What I don't like is that the stuff inside is not true.
SS: But being linked to Tyra Banks ... there are worse things to be on the cover for.

TW: But you would rather not be there. It was an intrusion on my privacy and on her privacy. I thought it was out of line. If it's true, go ahead and print it. That's fine. But that much of a fabrication? They shouldn't be doing that stuff.

SS: Music. You into it?

TW: Very much.

SS: What kind?

TW: R&B. Hip-hop.

SS: Favorite artists?

TW: I don't really have a favorite artist. All this music can move you.

SS: Do you get any jazz at all?

TW: Jazz is very soothing. My dad is a huge Ella Fitzgerald fan. That's what I grew up listening to. The older I get the more I'm starting to find out how talented those musicians really are.

SS: So basically you're turning into your dad?

TW: Don't we all? It's amazing. I used to be into more upbeat music. As I get older, I'm starting to understand what he was talking about.

SS: You still go to the clubs, though?

TW: Oh, yeah.

SS: Everybody knows about basketball, baseball and football groupies. Are there golf groupies?

TW: There are. They just aren't as aggressive as the ones I've seen from hanging out with some of the NBA players or even the baseball players.

SS: How do you deal with the groupie factor on the PGA Tour?

TW: (Laughs) I don't even worry about it. I have my girlfriend and I am happy just being with her.

SS: You know you're a sex symbol.

TW: (Guffaws)

SS: Young, gifted, black, sex symbol, handsome. Don't worry. I've got a kid. It's cool. I'm secure enough to say you're a handsome man. Do you ever think about that? Do people have to remind you, "Tiger, you're a good-looking guy. There are women out there"?

TW: (Pretends not to hear) Huh? What? (Laughs)

SS: Ever think about that? Like it or not, you're a sex symbol.

TW: No. I don't think about it.

SS: Tiger!

TW: I'm a golfer. Golfers aren't that way.

SS: "Golfers aren't that way." Do you ever walk in front of a mirror and flex? If nobody's around?

TW: (Laughs) I'm not big. (Screams) I'M NOT BIG!

SS: But you're cut up, though.

TW: I'm not huge.

SS: Okay. But do you flex in front of a mirror? We all do. Come on, Tiger.

TW: I know you do.

SS: Well, yeah. (Both laugh)

TW: I'm not against it. (Laughs)

***

SS: You are probably everybody's favorite golfing buddy -- from the biggest hacker out there to guys like Jordan, Elway, Gretzky. Have you ever thought that everyone in the world would like to play a round of golf with you?

TW: (Laughs) Have I looked at it like that? No.

SS: It's true, though.

TW: Yeah, but I'm the same way. It's not too often that you get to play with the best athletes in the world. People you have looked up to and admired. A chance to play golf with them? It's ...

SS: Come on. A chance to play golf with them or a chance to smoke 'em on the course?

TW: Not necessarily smoke 'em. Just to hang around them. That's pretty cool in itself.

SS: Which celeb has played you the toughest?

TW: Good question. I played with Michael in Chicago when he shot 75. I had to eagle the last hole to break even.

SS: Did you give him any mulligans?

TW: No mulligans.

SS: Was it the day the helicopter flew over?

TW: Yeah. Exactly.

SS: You didn't tell anybody you were playing?

TW: No, nothing. No warning.

SS: A helicopter finds you anyway. What do you say to each other?

TW: You caused the whole thing.

SS: You blame Michael.

TW: It's all his fault. I didn't do anything. It's Mike's course.

***

SS: You and Mark O'Meara and Ken Griffey Jr. get together to play a round at Isleworth. Does O'Meara talk a lot of junk?

TW: Not really, but he can get it going a little bit sometimes. Not like Junior.

SS: Junior talks?

TW: Junior has been known to try to get under your skin.

SS: He can smack the ball.

TW: Strong. Very strong. He hits it a long way.

SS: Can he outdrive you sometimes?

TW: Yeah, he can, actually.

SS: Does that bug you?

TW: Nah. Because I know I can beat him. Then again, I can't hit home runs.

SS: Charles Barkley is not even an 18 handicapper. What's up with that swing?

TW: I've heard his swing wasn't that bad a while ago. But he was trying to work on it with somebody and developed a hitch.

SS:
TW: It's definitely a hitch now. (Laughs)

SS: They say golf reveals a lot of a man's or a woman's character. How they celebrate, how they react to messing up. What have you learned about some celebs? Guys like Jordan or Barkley.

TW: Golf is one of those weird games where you really have to control your emotions. You can't get too riled up, can't get too down. Most great athletes are used to handling their emotions. So when they play golf, they usually succeed at it.

SS: You play with people of all levels. Now if you played with me, 25 handicap, trying to get his game under 90, is that a drag for you?

TW: No. Not at all.

SS: You're hitting 300 yards, straight. I'm at 200 yards and asking you which tree.

TW: As long as you play fast, it's fine. (Laughs) I don't mind. We're out there to have a good time.

SS: Do you understand the mentality of a guy like me? Who is so bad and so addicted? All I want to do is go out and swing a golf club. So do you. But you hit 69 and I hit 99 on a good day.

TW: The great thing that makes golf so addicting is that it's you alone. You don't need a hitting partner or someone to catch the ball for you. It's just you by yourself. I think golfers enjoy the serenity and the challenge of trying to beat their own personal records or their buddies. You can go out and have a good time for five or six hours. And you can go home, no matter what you shoot, and say you had a great time.

SS: Your own foursome of non-pro golfers -- who would it be? Your dream foursome?

TW: It wouldn't be a foursome.

SS: All right. How many?

TW: twosome. Me and my dad.

SS: Other than your dad. Guys you want to beat or laugh at for a round. Guys to challenge you.

TW: I think I'd have a great time with Charles, Michael and Griff. We'd have a great time.

SS: How many strokes would you give them?

TW: (Laughs) I don't know about that one.

SS: Charles, what, 16? Would you give him 20?

TW: I think I would have to.

SS: Would you give Mike five?

TW: Michael and I would have a really good game if I gave him two a side.

SS: Junior?

TW: Junior, about four a side.

SS: We'll see if we can set that up. How many would you give me? Thirty?

TW: (Laughs)

SS: Trust me. You'd be all right.

***

SS: When you practice or play with Arnie or Jack, what kind of tips do they give? Golf? Life? Or about handling it all?

TW: What they always say is you have to be yourself, and take time out for yourself. So many people are asking for a piece of your time, for a few minutes, a few hours, a day. You have to learn to say no. Because if you don't play well, then none of these other things will happen. You have to understand that what makes you who you are is how you play in a golf tournament.

SS: Are you in awe of Jack and Arnie when you play with them?

TW: First time I ever played with them was in a practice round before the '95 Masters. That was pretty special. We played skins. Arnie took them all. (Laughs) Arnie made all the birdies. Then we played in the par-3 tournament. On the last hole, Arnie hits first and almost makes a hole-in-one. Jack hits and almost makes another hole-in-one. Now I have to hit.

SS: Thanks, guys!

TW: Thanks, guys. Yeah. But I knocked it up to about three feet. That was pretty cool.

SS: Let me get this straight. On a par 3, you hit it to three feet and get smoked by Nicklaus and Palmer?

TW: They put it in there tight. Actually, Jack was away.

SS: This isn't like Jack and Arnie giving advice: You were on TV giving tips to some rocker guy. On VH1's Fairway to Heaven. Who was that?

TW: Glenn Frey. I always figure I'm not going to say anything to my amateur partners who play golf with me, or even a pro, unless they ask me. Because I don't think it's my right to interfere with anyone's game. That's how I work. I don't know if it's right or not. I think I'm being polite.

***

SS: When you first turned pro, did you have to get used to being around the guys? There was some stuff about some of the guys wanting you to sign balls for their auctions and tournaments, and you didn't want to do it. Was that a getting-used-to process?

TW: I was getting used to the constant bombardment. I came right out of college, and in amateur golf we didn't have any of these demands. And all of a sudden I was thrust into one of the brightest spotlights there has ever been in golf, next to Arnold Palmer in his heyday, during the television revolution. It was pretty tough at first.

SS: Are you more savvy in that regard now?

TW: Absolutely. I understand and they understand too. But they respect my space and I respect theirs.

SS: Do you have friends on tour? I know Mark is your best buddy on tour.

TW: Oh, yeah.

SS: Any other guys you consider friends?

TW: Some of the younger guys I hang out with. Mark's best friend, John Cook, has become one of my good friends. Notah Begay is out there; I used to play with him at Stanford. And some of the guys I grew up playing against are on the Tour now, so it's getting easier.

***

SS: Guys who can regularly outdrive you?

TW: Daly for one. At the Masters, Hank Kuehne. He passed me all the time.

SS: Does that bug you?

TW: No, it doesn't. I'm playing my own game. And I know I can't hit the ball that far. I'm not supposed to hit it that far. That's not what my body is designed to do. But I know how to score. I think that anybody would rather shoot 62s and 63s than hit the ball 330 yards.

SS: Why do so many hackers take their driver to the range and spend an hour just beating balls?

TW: They don't understand the principles of the game of golf. It's not necessarily how far you hit it but where you hit it. Look at what some of the shorter hitters on tour have done, like Corey Pavin. Guys who hit the ball short off the tee but know how to place it. The object of the game is to get the ball in the hole, whatever it takes.

SS: How old were you when you hit your first 300-yard drive?

TW: I really don't know.

SS: As a teenager?

TW: Yeah. I was actually longer when I was in college than I am now.

SS: Really?

TW: A lot has to do with the fact that my grip is not as strong as it used to be. My club face is not as shut, so I'm not de-lofting the club. And I definitely don't swing as hard. Those factors all add up to loss of distance. And that's what I want: to hit the ball shorter and straighter and keep it in play. To win tournaments you have to be straight. Especially since the PGA Tour has gone to higher rough and faster greens. You have to be in the fairway to spin the ball and get into some of these tough pin locations.

SS: Does your girlfriend help center your life? Does that help with all the attention?

TW: Oh, yeah. It's someone who understands what you are going through. You can share things. Just like anybody, you need that.

SS: Marriage some day?

TW: Sometime down the road. I don't know when that is going to happen.

SS: But you do want it?

TW: Some day. I'm not looking forward to it right now. (Laughs) It's not what I'm focusing on.

SS: Do you want little Tigers running around?

TW: Ummm ... Sure.

SS: Or Tigresses?

TW: A yellow Lab. That's fine. A Rottweiler.

***

SS: You say you love baseball. What other sports did you grow up loving?

TW: Basketball and baseball. I don't think there is anything better than going to a baseball game and understanding it. How guys cheat. Guys move around. The pitch count. What guys' tendencies are. You know these things going into the game, so it's neat to see how it all unfolds. The game within the game. It's like golf. If you understand how to play the game, you see a guy who has a back right pin will set the ball up on the left side of the fairway, far enough back so that he has a full shot in there. Or the type of shot he is going to hit so he can feed it off the slope. I just love the game within the game.

SS: We saw you in the batting cage with the Braves. We saw you taking the swing. But we didn't see where the ball went.

TW: I didn't get one out of the park but I did hit two to the warning track. I was chit-chatting with Ryan Klesko, then he gets up and knocks it not only out of the park but over the scoreboard. I'm thinking, as I watch the ball go, this is just not fair. (Laughs) One thing I didn't realize about baseball players is how big they really are. God, he is big.

SS: So Mark McGwire says he has a faster swing speed than you.

TW: He does. Look how big he is!

SS: What are the differences in a baseball swing and a golf swing? And the similarities.

TW: In a baseball swing, you move your head a little bit on the way down. And transfer your weight. But in a baseball swing you really don't flip your hands over. To describe it the best, you are always trying to hit a slice. Trying to hold the bat through the zone. In golf, you are actually letting it go. So when a lot of baseball players play golf, they hit a lot of slices.

SS: That's me. I have trouble getting it around.

TW: In baseball, you're taught to turn and hold it this way (hands open). In golf you have to come down and actually roll it over.

SS: Damn game.

SS: You have said you want to concentrate on the majors. For you, what does that mean?

TW: It means you want to win tournaments, but you want your game peaking four times a year. The way Nicklaus used to. The players saw it that way last year when they voted for PGA Tour Player of the Year. Four victories or two majors? They voted for the two majors -- Mark O'Meara.

SS: There are probably guys on the Tour who like you and guys who don't. The things you say, the things you do. Do you make any apologies?

TW: You can't. That's just my personality. That's the way I am. I can't change that. Nor should I. I'm being myself.

SS: You have a little swagger.

TW: People have told me I have a little swagger on the course. I don't feel I do. I'm just being me.

SS: When you hear criticism, about the fist-pumping or whatever, what's your reaction?

TW: People have their opinions and are entitled to them. But are they also tired of John Elway pumping his fist? Or Michael punching the air after hitting that shot against Cleveland over Ehlo in 1989? Were people upset at him for doing that?

***

SS: The women want me to ask: Boxers or briefs?

TW: Both.

SS: I'm not touching it after that. When you are relaxing, what do you wear?

TW: Jeans and a T-shirt.

SS: Baggy?

TW: There's room.

***

SS: What do you do during your downtime?

TW: I like to read quite a bit. But I also watch SportsCenter. I love sports, so if a good team is playing, I'll watch. Any kind of basketball, no matter who's playing. I love it. And I'll check out Boomer and the baseball games. I love that.

SS: Do you still play hoops?

TW: Not anymore. I'm afraid of landing wrong on my ankle. twisting a knee or blowing something out. It's a risk I don't need to take. I actually played a little paintball after the British Open in '97. It was fun, but I hopped over a wall and tore a few ligaments in my ankle. It was sore for about a year and was never 100%.

SS: The 1997 Masters. You won by 12 strokes, 18-under. If you step away from it, was that one of the greatest sports achievements ever?

TW: No. Maybe in my sport. But there are so many great moments in sports. Like when MJ stole the ball from Karl Malone and came down the floor and hit the jump shot last year to win the championship. Mine took four days.

***

SS: How much of a responsibility do you take for making golf a chic game? Back in the day, the brothers were saying, "Golf? I'm not playing no golf. I'm going to play basketball, football. Golf is a siSS:y sport." But now you see people of all sizes, shapes and colors playing. And if you say you don't think you had anything to do with it, I'll call you a liar.

TW: I've helped out a little bit. And I'm glad if I could help kids get into a sport that might give them a chance to get out of the slums, the hood or a gang. Away from the violence. That's why the Tiger Woods Foundation does what it does: promote junior golf and enhance educational facilities. Golf is a great way for someone to learn discipline, responsibility and sportsmanship. There are a lot of things you can learn from golf that you can apply in life. And to have kids play is pretty cool.

SS: The galleries don't have many faces of color. Does that bother you?

TW: It bothered me when I was younger, because I was the only one of any minority playing golf. Now I'm starting to see more minority faces in the crowd. And it's cool to see these people taking a serious interest in golf. My goal from the outset was to make golf look like America. Hopefully, when I am finished with golf, or six feet under, I can leave the game better than it was when I entered.

SS: I'm trying to get my dad into the game. He walked 18 holes for a tournament I played down in North Carolina. But he, and a lot of people, have always seen golf as an elitist sport. How do you change that?

TW: You change it by providing more access. Country clubs start opening up. These unwritten rules where they don't allow any blacks, any Jews or any women -- there are quite a few clubs around the country like that. We have had a couple of clubs come off the PGA rotation because they wouldn't convert.

SS: How do you balance letting in a mix of people and cultures and still maintain the etiquette of golf? A lot of young kids don't get that. It's cool to come on the course with baggy pants and your hat turned backwards, but you still have to be quiet when someone is putting and you can't walk in front of people's lines.

TW: It's the responsibility of the people playing the game to teach them. When I was young I was naive and did things I shouldn't have. But people told me that is not the way you do it. This is the way you do it. I didn't know. I thought it was cool when they did that.

SS: Do you work out?

TW: Yeah.

SS: Weights, aerobics?

TW: Both.

SS: So you do flex?

TW: (Laughs) I flex.

This article appears in the June 4, 1999 issue of ESPN The Magazine.