Rocket Men by Robert Kurson

Rocket Men by Robert Kurson

Tiger Woods makes golf look easy.

But then, he has had plenty of practice.

He hit his first golf ball before he reached his first birthday. He played in his first tournament when he was four. He won his first tournament when he was eight.

And, still, he kept on practicing.

His mother and father, Kultilda and Earl Woods, ingrained in Tiger the need for practice, whether in golf or in the classroom. They also stressed the importance of discipline.

Tiger could not practice golf until his homework was finished. He also learned discipline on the golf course, where he was taught to control his temper.

Through practice and discipline Tiger has become one of the most popular and successful golfers in the world.

Nonetheless, his life has not always been easy.

Tiger is part Caucasian, part black, part Indian, and part Asian, a medley of heritages he calls Cablinasian. Because he was different, he was beaten up on his first day of school.

Despite all the pressures and worries, the conflict between his golf game and academics, his father's health problems, and the constant media attention, Tiger has thrived.

In 1997 he became the youngest person ever to win the coveted Masters Tournament. He founded the Tiger Woods Foundation, which helps underprivileged children through golf. By his example he has shown that it is not your race or nationality that makes you what you are. It is what you do with yourself.

David R. Collins is a retired high-school English teacher and the author of more than seventy books, most of them biographies. They include Tiger Woods, Golf Superstar, Hero on Horseback: The Story of Casimir Pulaski, and Casimir Pulaski: Soldier on Horseback, all published by Pelican.

A respected and successful free-lance artist, Larry Nolte has illustrated many of David Collins' books, including all those published by Pelican.