From The (South Carolina) State, June 27, 2007
If you’ve read John Feinstein’s seminal golf work, “A Good Walk Spoiled,” in which he goes behind the scenes to tell us what life is REALLY like on the PGA Tour (circa 1994), then you probably figure you already have an idea of Lewis’ format. But if you’re a fan of the current Tour — Tiger, Phil et al — then you can’t wait to get your hands on this volume. It’s a different world out there now than 12 years ago (Lewis covers the 2006 season), and his approach, while similar to Feinstein’s, is a book for its time.
A friend recently complained about the “boring” nature of golf journalism: lots of scores and descriptions of great shots, few if any insights into the best players in the world, both on the courses and away from them. Without offering up my excuses (deadlines, uncooperative players, deadlines), I had to agree with him, to a point: the potential for great stories is there. A writer just needs time, regular exposure (meaning every week) to the players, a bit of their trust, and he’ll find great, funny, touching tales that show why golfers are (in my opinion) the best athletes to follow.
Lewis has the exposure and the relative lack of deadlines — he’s worked mostly for Sports Illustrated the past 10 years — and he understands the dynamics that drive the PGA Tour. He’s friendly enough with many players that they let their guards down, and has mined a rich treasure trove of anecdotes and stories, as well as some remarkable backstage revelations.
Case in point: the rumors in 2004 and 2005 that Phil Mickelson had fathered an illegitimate child. “Someone added a telling detail that lent (the rumor) credibility, saying that Sports Illustrated was soon going to bear the rumor out in an expose. ... Steve Loy, Mickelson’s agent, confronted an SI reporter and threatened legal action if the story was actually published. No such story, of course, had ever been in the works.”
There’s more: about Tiger and the death of his father, Earl; about Mickelson and his repudiation of gambling; about John Daly and Vijay Singh and the rest. If you follow the tour closely, you’ll read things you knew (but some you didn’t), as well as things that will make you pause. Feinstein created the format, but Lewis has taken it — much like the Tour itself — to a new level.
From The Detroit Free Press, June 6, 2007
GOTTA HAVE IT: Father's Day is approaching faster than you can say "ugly necktie," and Lewis' 352-page hardcover book is here to solve your yearly gift-giving quandary. Lewis is a former Sports Illustrated reporter for the magazine's weekly Golf Plus supplemental coverage. His primary job for years was to haunt the driving ranges and locker rooms at every PGA Tour stop. So much of that insider-only access is present in Lewis' book, you'll feel like you're an omnipresent shadow following caddies and players as their tales - primarily from the 2006 season - unfold in minute detail through Lewis' rich narrative. It's about the closest you can get Dad to the PGA Tour without getting him a caddie's bib or a media credential.
