Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour

by Shane Ryan Narrated by Sean Pratt

Overview

For more than a decade, golf was dominated by one galvanizing figure: Eldrick "Tiger" Woods. But as his star has fallen, a new, ambitious generation has stepped up to claim the crown. Once the domain of veterans, golf saw a youth revolution in 2014. In Slaying the Tiger, Shane Ryan introduces us to the volatile, colorful crop of heirs apparent who are storming the barricades of this traditionally old-fashioned sport.



As the golf writer for Bill Simmons's Grantland, Shane Ryan is the perfect herald for the sport's new age. In Slaying the Tiger, he embeds himself for a season on the PGA Tour, where he finds the game far removed from the genteel rhythms of yesteryear. Instead, he discovers a group of mercurial talents driven to greatness by their fear of failure and their relentless perfectionism. From Augusta to Scotland, with an irreverent and energetic voice, Ryan documents every transcendent moment, every press tent tirade, and every controversy that made the 2014 Tour one of the most exciting and unpredictable in recent memory.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

07/20/2015
As the post-Tiger era moves to its conclusion, veteran sportswriter Ryan gives the readers an inside look at the younger set competing for dominance on the PGA Tour, refusing to treat "golf like religion with sacred grounds and mythical heroes." The old guard such as Nickelson, Garcia, Furyk and Els are somewhat invisible here, as Ryan devotes his attention to the young lions: the solid Victor Dubuisson, the cash-driven Jason Day, the chunky Patrick Reed, the stylish Rickie Fowler, the sensational Rory McIlory, and the Texas terror Jordan Spieth, winner of the 2015 U.S. Open. The author doesn't mince words in putting the strengths and flaws of each player under the microscope, and he particularly targets the media-hungry Bubba Watson right between the eyes with choice criticisms. Looming above these youthful competitors, there is the myth and reality of the legendary Tiger Woods, a fallen idol, who Ryan describes as "striding like a Colossus down the fairways he's owned for the better part of 20 years," now crippled with back spasms, a turbulent personal life, and a bad golf game. This chatty, opinionated account of the celebrated younger set on the PGA Tour is recommended for anyone who wants to get real insights on the players and the sport. (June)

From the Publisher

This book is going to be controversial. There is no question about it. . . . It is the most unvarnished view of the tour—the biggest tour in the world—that I’ve ever read. And it’s not close.”—Gary Williams, Golf Channel
 
“Slaying the Tiger is an unflinching look at these men, and the depth and honesty of the material is remarkable. . . . [Shane Ryan] dug deep and got the kind of background information on the players he features that was absent from or barely hinted at in other outlets. . . . This book is certain to be as important to this era as [John] Feinstein’s [A Good Walk Spoiled] was two decades ago. . . . A well-researched, in-depth look at the men who inhabit the highest levels of the game, at the end of one era and the advent of another, Slaying the Tiger is a must-read for PGA Tour fans from the casual to the most dedicated.”—Examiner.com
 
“An important step away from cliché sportswriting that has saturated golf media for decades . . . Slaying the Tiger should be remembered not for what traditionalists have tried to label it but instead for what it is: a masterfully written account of an important time in golf history in a style that is synonymous to the book’s core message.”—Adam Fonseca, Golf Unfiltered
 
“Absolutely marvelous . . . Ryan’s writing flows and his reporting turns pages for you. From debunking the Victor Dubuisson myth to blowing up the social construction of Patrick Reed, the entire thing is tremendous. . . . Your only regret will be that there aren’t 400 more pages to peruse.”—Kyle Porter, CBS Sports
 
“A riveting read.”—Library Journal

“I think it’s important to have books like this in the canon of golf, in the canon of sports.”—Damon Hack, Golf Channel
 
“With Eldrick Woods reduced to a sideshow, Shane Ryan’s Slaying the Tiger offers bright, opinionated prose on the modern game. Ryan’s fresh look is just what we golfer/readers want.”—Curt Sampson, New York Times bestselling author of Hogan
 
“Ryan does a fantastic job painting a thoughtful and accurate portrait of the new crop of heirs apparent. . . . With enthusiasm and irreverence, Ryan explores the various personalities of these newer faces in the game and probes into their backgrounds via a bevy of sources, from their parents to their college coaches, to paint intriguing and colorful and sometimes brutally honest portraits of the personalities that have taken over the PGA Tour.”—Stephanie Wei, Wei Under Par
 
“An exquisite study of a number of the PGA Tour’s stars with an emphasis on the younger generation about to take over from Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.”—Ryan Ballengee, Golf News Net

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"[R]ecommended for anyone who wants to get real insights on the players and the sport." —Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

07/01/2015
In this debut, sportswriter Ryan (ESPN the Magazine, Golf Digest) follows the rising stars on the PGA Tour. For those who follow golf on television, the younger players may seem mostly vanilla, cut from the same country club cloth. This is not by accident; all of the competitors have handlers who control their public image. Ryan, who spent more than a year following the PGA Tour, scrubbed beneath the veneer. Among the players he profiled—including Patrick Reed, Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, and Rickie Fowler—many had an early introduction to golf (albeit with a plastic club in the crib), a chip or more on their shoulder, and often a demon or two to overcome. If golf is a religion, Ryan is the agnostic; he asks difficult questions and isn't always pleased with the observations. It's unlikely that the PGA Tour will laud his assessment of the Players Championship, and his commentary on the Masters may earn him the same fate as golf analyst Gary McCord, effectively silenced. VERDICT As a result, a riveting read, especially for those contemplating a career as a touring professional.—Steven Silkunas, Fernandina Beach, FL

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170865031
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	09/15/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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Excerpted from "Slaying the Tiger"
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Copyright © 2016 Shane Ryan.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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