Tiger Woods Outraged by ‘Sheer Nastiness’ of Fake Interview

Pro golfer Tiger Woods published an editorial Tuesday slamming a parody interview in Golf Digest between him and the article’s author, sportswriter Dan Jenkins.

“Jenkins faked an interview, which fails as parody, and is really more like a grudge-fueled piece of character assassination,” Woods wrote in a piece titled “Not True, Not Funny” on The Players’ Tribune, a platform founded by Derek Jeter featuring the “unfiltered voices of professional athletes.”

Jenkins’ article, which appeared in the December issue of Golf Digest, involves targeted questions that “Woods” answers, including a question about why he doesn’t tip well, a claim made by fellow sportswriter Rick Reilly.

“All athletes know that we will be under scrutiny from the media. But this concocted article was below the belt,” Woods wrote. “Good-natured satire is one thing, but no fair-minded writer would put someone in the position of having to publicly deny that he mistreats his friends, takes pleasure in firing people, and stiffs on tips—and a lot of other slurs, too.”

Woods also made public a copy of a letter sent by his representatives to Golf Digest publisher Mark Townsend. The document demands an apology and a response to questions about the piece’s journalistic integrity.