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There’s something about rehashing media-saturated events — like Tiger Woods’ 10-month stretch that netted all four of golf’s majors — that always has me assuming I’ll be as disappointed as the first listen on a “new” Beatles song that’s just been unearthed.
There’s typically a reason why the highlights deserved to be the highlights.
And while there’s not a ton of new ground broken in “Tiger Slam,” the Golf Channel documentary hoping to capitalize on the audience of Sunday’s “The Match II,” it’s great theater presented with a new and modern twist. The film will premiere on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.
Maybe it’s the charisma that Emmy Award-winning actor Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire) brings through narration. Maybe it’s the pace, which doesn’t feel like a typical golf documentary.
Or maybe it’s a few zingers you weren’t expecting.
Like one in which longtime swing coach Butch Harmon talks about how Woods called and said he’d finally had that magical light bulb go off, this after a long stretch of tinkering. Woods was already a wunderkind. He wanted to be a legend.
And after calling to tell Harmon he’d felt something fall perfectly into place, the two joined with a few others to play a round near Harmon’s school in Las Vegas.
Despite difficult conditions, Woods shot a 64 and showed the form that Harmon knew would mean a transformation of the golf world. This came with a huge tournament looming in Pebble Beach.
“Quite frankly,” Harmon said, “we all rushed to the casinos to bet on Tiger Woods to win the U.S. Open.
“It was a profitable week. Let’s put it that way.”
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There’s plenty more where that came from, including backstory on former caddy Stevie Williams, and the absolute fear that struck through him as he realized Woods didn’t have any golf balls remaining in his bag during the U.S. Open win.
Sure, it’s a story that’s been told before, but it adds to the intrigue and drama of the film, and reminds how even when things were seemingly perfect, Tiger and his team avoided landmines along the way. The backstory with Bob May is well-known, too, but still fun to reminisce on.
All told, the slick, impressive film is certainly worth your time, and even though much of the tune is one you likely already know, it’s told in such impressive fashion that you certainly won’t mind humming along.
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