The Gamer Interview: Tiger on Tiger
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I'm obsessed with hitting people in the groin in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09. When I set up for a shot then without mercy spin around and aim at the crowd, they try to wave me off, but I just find some sort of evil pleasure out of smacking them below the belt, or even better, knocking one off a virtual noggin and watching the ball roll back onto the green like that was part of my plan all along.
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So I wondered, does Tiger Woods himself enjoy this evil pleasure?
"Not at all," Woods tells me with a laugh, "I already hit way too many people with shots in real golf."
I thought Woods was joking, but then the man, the myth, the one-legged legend broke down his favorite "ball meets head" story from the tour as we caught up at his video game launch event in New York.
"I hit this one kid in Toronto back at the Canadian Open in 2000," Tiger explained. "On number eight, I hit a tee shot straight to the right. There was a TV cart over in that direction and I actually thought I hit that cart because the shot ricocheted back out onto the fairway. But when I get down there, there was a kid with an ice pack on his head. The ball hit him straight in the head on the fly. No blood, no nothing, he just had a knot on his head, but I just felt so bad for the guy. Then he was like 'Oh man, it was awesome! I can't believe you hit me.' I was like wow, then ended up making birdie on the hole. Then as I continue playing, I see the kid again, this time on the 16th hole. I asked him what he was still doing out there, then I see he's still carrying around the same ice pack that he's been carrying around for like eight holes. This was on Friday and I end up seeing the same guy throughout the rest of the tournament. I ended up winning that week, so I guess I owe it all to him."
From there, Tiger broke down everything from his video game to his golf game.
Unfortunately, no cyber fans were injured in the making of this interview.
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ESPN: Some of your game's creators were joking that there should've been a Tiger One Leg mode in the game this year. Are you down to recreate that US Open experience or was once enough?
Tiger Woods: Once was enough! [laughs] I don't wish that pain on anyone, even in a video game.
ESPN: You were noticeably wincing out at the Open. On a pain scale of 1-10, what were you feeling out there as you were trying to win the tournament?
Tiger Woods: At times, that was the most pain I've ever been in because of the fracture. It was what it was, but the pain would go away, it was just a matter of how long would it take to go away. But it was one of those things where I'm a very stubborn person and I had it in my mind that I was going to win that championship. It meant a lot to me to be home. Southern California is where I grew up and one of the first tournaments I ever went to, my dad brought me down there to an Andy Williams tournament and we watched all the pros play that golf course. Ever since then, I've always had an affinity for Torrey Pines. I had to win.
ESPN: How often are golfers playing through injuries that the public might not know about?
Tiger Woods: Golfers in general usually have injuries, we're all nicked up, but usually they are small things -- backs, wrists, necks, hips. But golfers generally don't play through too much pain or big-time injuries. It's not part of our sport. We don't get shot up like some other sports do. Obviously, you need that fine motor control for golf and if you're nicked up enough, you just can't do it. In most team sports, you can still go out there and hide. You can't do that in golf. You're exposed. You're out there by yourself.
ESPN: You're arguably the best golfer to ever play the sport, but how often do you hit a bad shot and think that you suck?
Tiger Woods: Oh, totally. I've been there many a times. [laughs] I'll call my agent up and tell him he represents the worst golfer of all time.
ESPN: Your swing coach, Hank Haney, is featured in your video game this year. Do you think the average gamer is going to be surprised to learn that even you have a coach for those times when you think you're the worst player in the world?
Tiger Woods: I hope they know about him because he's helped me so much. The last few years and the success we've had, we've worked really hard together to get my game more consistent and better. He's done a great job and we're going to continue to work at it. I think it's great for gamers to experience what I experience. It's an extra set of eyes that you trust. I trust Hank completely with my golf swing and now gamers will be able to feel a sense of development as they improve their skills while also gaining a sense of knowledge that will help their game and not be detrimental to it.
ESPN: One of the big selling points of your game is the fact that you can create golfers to look pretty much however you want. While all the kids want to play as you in the game, who do you like to create?
Tiger Woods: I create my own dudes. I've got two of them. One is a big, fat dude who is bald and the other is this big, buffed-out guy with an afro and a goatee. It's just too polar opposites, but I like them because they are so crazy and off the wall. Besides, I'm not too good at growing facial hair in real life.
ESPN: Is that one of the great things about playing video games, the ability for you to escape your own life for a bit and step in the shoes of these other characters?
Tiger Woods: In a sense it is an escape. When I start playing video games, I sometimes lose track of time and don't even realize how much time has passed. It's also a way for me to escape back into the world of golf right now. I can't physically do it but I'm still emotionally connected through the game. When I was first laid up after my injury, all I could really do was lay there and play the game, so it really added another level to the experience I didn't have before as it is the closest I can get right now to playing a tournament.
ESPN: Is the Wii version actually helping teach the younger generation how to swing a club for the first time with its motion-sensitive controllers?
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Tiger Woods: Kids are getting the motion of the golf swing. One of the things I actually need to watch out for is when I play the Wii I can't make my normal golf swing. I can't rotate on my leg and I have to make sure that I don't get out of habit, I don't twist. I know when I see kids play, it's really cool to see them go all out and make real swings. The fact that they have that type of technology and have that experience of having fun, not just playing video games, but having that physical interaction just takes it to a whole new level.
ESPN: The Wii version even has players driving crazy on golf carts. Ever cut loose on a cart?
Tiger Woods: I used to as a kid, but certainly not anymore. [laughs]
ESPN: Another new addition to the game is the club tuner where you can actually go in and set up your clubs to hit for more distance or take off a little length for a bigger sweet spot. How about in real life, what's your money club?
Tiger Woods: I have all 14. That's what I've always believed in. You can't just have one club that stands out in a bag. As a competitor, you have to be able to rely on any of those clubs at any given time and you can't have any weak link in the set. I work really hard to have all 14 clubs exactly how I want them.
ESPN: What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about you?
Tiger Woods: I'm not as serious as people think I am. I have a serious side to me, and that's what you see out there on the golf course because I'm so competitive, but I'm pretty relaxed. I'm pretty laid back.
ESPN: Are you relaxed when you play video games or are you always talking trash?
Tiger Woods: When my boys come over to the house and we have game night, anything goes to distract the other person. We pretty much do anything and everything. It's guy time.
ESPN: You're not one of those guys who slaps the controller out of another man's hands, are you?
Tiger Woods: No, we don't do that. You can't physically touch the other person, but anything else goes to try and distract them.
ESPN: What if I challenge you to a game, how are you going to distract me?
Tiger Woods: I can't let my secrets out. You're just going to have to come over and see. [laughs]
