As holiday reading for the serious sports fan, it has not been bettered this year * Sunday Times *
As much a force of nature in sporting pursuits as John Grisham is on lawyers or Steven King is on the weird, the dauntingly prolific John Feinstein once again steps up to take a swing at golf. While A Good Walk Spoiled chronicles the pressures and tensions of a full season on the PGA Tour, The Majors narrows the vista, and expands the importance, to the chase for the four prestigious titles--the Masters, the US Open, the British Open and the PGA--that separate the great careers from the pretenders. That the chase occurred in 1998 turns The Majors from a compelling chronicle into a thrilling one. A thorough reporter, Feinstein does the necessary homework both inside and beyond the ropes. He dusts off history and anecdote to provide perspective and explore how and why these four particular tournaments sprouted such regal fur around their collars. Still, perspective is just background if there's no focus to give it meaning, and he finds a bagful of it in the individual quests and the public and private dramas of, most notably, Fred Couples, Lee Janzen, Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara, Phil Mickelson, and David Duval. All entered the season with much to prove--to themselves and posterity, and the latter is what the Majors are so imposingly about. As Feinstein observes, Four days a year, golfers go out to play for Forever. Those are the four Sundays at the major championships. They all know what is at stake. As the record shows, none staked a claim more improbably or excitingly than O'Meara, who put a pair of exclamation points on a long, distinguished--but significantly Major-less--career with stunning, gutsy victories at both the Masters and the British Open. Feinstein records these quests with precision and colour; as usual, he aims at a target and shoots better than par. * Jeff Silverman, Amazon.com *
if you read only one sports book a year, this is it * The Economist *
Another major triumph for John Feinstein * New York Times Book Review *
A gripping view of the world of golf ... filled with the arcane information that will delight and surprise the golf fan * Glasgow Herald *
THE MAJORS is a tour de force of golf writing. You will be engrossed. * Golf Monthly *
Readers are given a rare insight into the emotions experienced during these intense events. He divulges the stories begind the most competitive, lucrative and nerve-wracking contests. * All Sport AND Leisure Monthly *
