Description:
Bobby Jones once remarked that Jack Nicklaus played a game with which he was not familiar, an observation echoed by The Golden Bear himself in assessing Tiger Woods's capabilities and achievements. But as much as the game has changed between the ropes in the last few years with the ascent of amazingly talented players like Woods, David Duval, and Sergio Garcia, the game beyond the ropes--and the image it presents of itself--has been in transition as well. It's been reaching far beyond the gentlemanly confines of plaid pants, country clubs, and polite applause from the galleries. Just what it is that is driving this phenomenon is the target Steve Eubanks sets his sights on in At the Turn. It makes for a well-aimed approach. A former PGA professional, Eubanks knows the game in ways observers simply can't. As a writer, he knows how events build into stories. In At the Turn, he links together such seemingly disparate events as Jean Van de Velde's Carnoustie collapse, America's 1997 Ryder Cup loss, Casey Martin suing the PGA, Payne Stewart's tragic death, the ascent of Woods, David Duval's 59, and the thrilling, emotional, tumultuous come-from-behind victory in the 1999 Ryder Cup (and the pre-Cup hoopla over players' sharing in the profits) to show the way the game has transformed into a big-money sport that spills well beyond American borders. Filled with perception and anecdote, At the Turn is a smart, engaging look at a game in flux. And while it's certainly Tiger's game, from Eubanks's perspective there's much more to it than a single golfer, no matter how far out of everyone else's league he might be. --Jeff Silverman
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