‘Tiger doesn’t have a patent on my memories’ – Haney

A NEW tell-all book by former Tiger Woods swing coach Hank Haney arrived in stores yesterday, the same day the golfer’s new video game hit the shelves.

The well-timed product releases came two days after Woods ended a 30-month win drought in PGA Tour-sanctioned events with victory at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It doesn’t hurt sales interest that the year’s first major championship, the Masters, will be played next week at Augusta National and that Woods will be a favourite as a result of his triumph.

Woods, a 14-times major champion, is chasing the record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus but has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open.

Haney’s book, The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods, and the intimate and at times unflattering picture it draws of Woods drew tight-lipped brief answers from the golfer when he was asked about it at events earlier this month.

Woods offers “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 – Duel of the Masters” for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A new television commercial features Woods and retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal using the Xbox 360 Kinect motion sensor to make swings.

Woods had the strongest opening sales for any of his video games last year when Augusta National Golf Club allowed its course to be measured and portrayed in a video game – an unprecedented move for the famed layout.

While victory was likely the best sales pitch Woods could offer, Haney made an appearance on CBS television yesterday, saying his revelations violated no ethical code regarding athletes and coaches and their relationship.

“The thing about this so called unwritten code, I mean, there is no code. It’s not a doctor-patient relationship,” Haney said on CBS.

“The bottom line really was I felt like these are my memories as well as Tiger’s.

“I didn’t think he had an exclusive or a patent on those memories,” Haney added.

“I’m asked about him all the time. I’m asked about my job and how I worked with Tiger. When you’re around greatness, when you observe it, you want to talk about it. I’m always asked about it.

“They are my memories too and I want to share them.”