Golf Digest Faked a Tiger Woods Interview as "Humor" and Eldrick is Pissed [UPDATE]

Golf Digest decided to ‘fake’ an interview with Tiger Woods, and had their veteran journalist Dan Jenkins write it up. I’d tell you if it was funny or not, but Golf Digest hasn’t posted the story online yet.

[UPDATE: Golf Digest just posted the story online. It has “Fake” in the headline, and is very clear before you read it that it is, indeed, FAKE.]

But Tiger Woods (or his agent or PR team) saw it in the magazine, and apparently flipped out. The article that nobody has seen or talked about so irked Team Woods that they wrote about it for Derek Jeter’s new website. (They also sent a letter to Golf Digest about it last week.)

"But this concocted article was below the belt. 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."

Quick reminder: Nobody was talking about this at all until Tiger’s team went on the offensive this afternoon.

"Golf Digest even hired an actor to pose as me in photos. 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. 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 would guess Golf Digest will have this article up within the hour, because, well, that’s good internet business. I’m not sure this was the best move for Tiger’s team – they’re seeking sympathy here, and frankly I’m not sure they’ll get it from the unforgiving internet.

Is it ever smart to highlight something that nobody has seen or talked about, and cry about it?