A month removed from his next tournament, he pounded balls like it was the Monday of Masters week. Notah Begay, one of Woods' college cronies at Stanford, recalled an afternoon when one member of the Cardinal golf team hit shots for two hours in a downpour because he felt such experience might prove useful at a future British Open. Because of their mutual ties to Nike and a shared interest in golf, Woods has grown close to Michael Jordan, the guard who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles in an eight-year span during the 1990s. In Woods, Jordan sees an athlete with a rare blend of physical skills and mental determination. It reminds him of the guy he sees in the mirror each morning, the basketball player who was selected as ESPN's top athlete of the 20th century.
Tiger is very similar.
In Tiger, I see an unbelievable work ethic to be the best golfer he can be. Most people don't have that. They try to take shortcuts to get to their goals or to achieve success. And nine times out of 10, they fall short because of the work ethic that someone else has put into that profession. Fellow competitors point to other intangibles in Woods' arsenal they would love to emulate as well.