Tiger Woods ignites feud with Dan Jenkins, condemns Golf Digest article

What has been a boring offseason in golf jolted to life when Tiger Woods issued a public rebuke to a fake satirical interview between Woods and 84-year-old Hall of Fame golf writer Dan Jenkins. The fake Q&A ran in the December issue of Golf Digest, and Jenkins, legendary for his snark and wit, as well as a frosty relationship with Tiger, took jabs at all manner of personal and professional Woods failings.

The fake interview would have gone relatively unnoticed if not for Tiger’s public response, which appeared on Derek Jeter’s The Players Tribune with the title “Not True, Not Funny.” Woods is criticized in one form or another almost daily by the press but rarely responds or addresses any individual publicly. In this instance, he started with a de facto call to action to go read the made-up interview that is now getting much wider distribution and attention.

Did you read Dan Jenkins’ interview with me in the latest Golf Digest? I hope not. Because it wasn’t me. It was some jerk he created to pretend he was talking to me. That’s right, Jenkins faked an interview, which fails as parody, and is really more like a grudge-fueled piece of character assassination.

Journalistically and ethically, can you sink any lower?

Jenkins has covered golf since the the mid-20th century and came to prominence in Fort Worth alongside the legendary Ben Hogan. He’s attended almost every major championship since the 1950s, and missed his first British Open in 45 years this past July. In that time and starting with the fellow Texan Hogan, he’s developed relationships with all of the Hall of Fame giants in the game ... except Woods.

Tiger and Jenkins have had a non-existent working relationship, and Jenkins, as is his wont, doesn’t miss many chances to poke Tiger on Twitter or at Golf Digest. He’s at his best when he’s cracking wise on golf courses, venues, broadcasts, tournaments, and players, most notably Tiger (and often Sergio). Jenkins has never had a sit down interview with Woods, something he addressed in a 2010 column titled Nice (Not) Knowing You.

I once made an effort to get to know the old silicone collector. Tried to arrange dinners with him for a little Q&A, on or off the record, his choice. But the closest I ever got was this word from his agent: “We have nothing to gain.”

So Jenkins, in what is an especially dead part of the golf calendar, opted to go with a satirical bit for the December issue and make up his own interview with Tiger. In it, he pokes at:

The fake interview is accompanied by some cold artwork -- a Tiger impersonator dining at Perkins and cleaning off his Escalade.

The satire is personal at points, but it’s not especially cruel or mean on the Jenkins scale.

Tiger, not known for having the thickest skin when it comes to criticism in the press, just felt like he had to respond. The article at The Players Tribune came after Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, also a subject of many Jenkins cracks, sent a letter directly to Golf Digest asking for an apology (You can read that letter here).

(Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Last year, when Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee wrote that Woods was “cavalier with the rules,” Tiger spent several months blowing off Golf Channel post-round interviews. He remembers most media critiques and often holds grudges. He will probably never sit for another Golf Digest interview or be the subject of one of their photo shoots. Until Tuesday, Tiger had been relatively out-of-sight and out-of-mind, as he preps to return to golf with what is hopefully a healthy back at December’s Hero World Challenge, a tournament he hosts and operates.

Jenkins, meanwhile, will go on at 84 years old unperturbed by Tiger’s public criticism that has now made his latest column so popular.

In terms of public relations and any feud with Jenkins, Tiger won’t win -- he’s called attention to an unkind article, appeared thin-skinned and humorless, and won’t get any sympathy from a press that mostly adores the legendary Jenkins. But at least we have something to talk about now during this dead spot in the golf calendar.