Tiger Woods unloads on golf journalist Dan Jenkins for ‘fake’ interview

TIGER Woods has been the target of various members of the media for years but it appears he’s had enough.

** NOT FOR COMMERCIAL SALE ** 2009 Australian Masters. Golf. Kingston Heath. Round two. Tiger Woods gets angry with himself on the 17th with his tee shot.

TIGER Woods has been the target of various members of the media for years but it appears he’s had enough.

The 14-time major winner has reacted furiously to a satirical interview written by legendary US journalist Dan Jenkins in a recent edition of Golf Digest.

Jenkins, an 84-year-old who was once described by TV host Larry King as the “best sportswriter in America”, has long taken issue with Woods and the lack of access he’s given him during his career.

So in an often-used journalistic tool he conducted a “fake” interview with Woods, taking him to task on how he likes to fire people, is a cheap tipper and personally dishonest.

Woods responded on a new website created by baseball great Derek Jeter aimed at giving athletes a voice — and he didn’t hold back.

“Did you read Dan Jenkins’ interview with me in the latest Golf Digest? I hope not. Because it wasn’t me,” Woods wrote.

“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-fuelled piece of character assassination.

“Journalistically and ethically, can you sink any lower?”

Golf Digest even had an actor pose as Woods in photographs that accompanied the “interview”.

... including recreating the scene that brought down Woods’ marriage.

Woods, who was a playing editor at Golf Digest until 2011, questioned whether the magazine would have run the piece if he still worked there.

“The truth is, Jenkins has no idea how I think or feel about any of the things he claims to know about, which is why he had to make things up,” Woods wrote.

“Frustration or resentment because I have not been more available to him should not give him a license for an underhanded attack on me as an athlete, as a professional and as a person.

“I guess Golf Digest’s editors believe this is a good way to sell more magazines. I’ll bet their readers don’t think so.

“Funny they didn’t think this poorly of me when I worked with the magazine. I have to say I was surprised when I saw this piece came from Jenkins, who is one of the most distinguished golf writers out there.”

Woods has been sidelined with a back injury recently.

Woods also linked to a formal complaint sent by his representatives to the magazine, which has defended the piece saying it was clearly labelled as a fake.

Jenkins later posted the following tweet:

My next column for Tiger: defining parody and satire. I thought I let him off easy: http://t.co/E7e9imSKwO

— Dan Jenkins (@danjenkinsgd) November 18, 2014

READ THE FULL PARODY INTERVIEW HERE.

Originally published as Tiger Woods unloads on golf journalist Dan Jenkins for ‘fake’ interview