The Last Putt: Two Teams, One Dream, and a Freshman Named Tiger

This is a great book. Frankly, I was surprised how good it is. I expected a well written, informative book. But I didn't expect it to be an exciting pageturner that was difficult to put down, which is exactly what it became, especially the last couple of chapters about the national championship tournament. I'm not sure which was the more interesting personality--Tiger Woods or Mike Holder (Oklahoma State's coach). I really enjoyed the background stories about the players and coaches. I had forgotten most of the details about the 1995 national chamipionship, but that truly was a classic. If you don't know which team won, don't look it up before you read the book; it will keep you guessing until the end. If you like sports, particularly if you like golf, I highly recommend this book.

Neil Hayes and Brian Murphy have written a really amazing and thorough book that offers a very detailed look at a largely overlooked arena -- college golf. By making their focus the 1995 clash between the Stanford team that included young Tiger Woods and Oklahoma State, Hayes and Murphy cleverly entice the reader in, then hook them with vivid descriptions of all of the young men who met on the course. They have a wide cast of people, yet all are profiled thoroughly, and this gave a very fascinating look at the sport. I know very little about golf, but Hayes and Murphy have made this saga into an extremely readable piece of nonfiction.

I've always wanted more background information on players on the PGA Tour and of course Tiger Woods. This book does that. The first half is about Tiger as a youth, the Oklahoma State golf team, and the Stanford golf team. There is a lot of information that few would know. The rest is about the 1995 NCAA golf championship and other competitions involving THE golf school OK State and Stanford. When Stanford won the 1994 NCAA before Tiger showed up it was a huge upset to say the least. I've wondered for years what is the quality some golfers have that allows them to win millions on the tour while others seemingly as good or better in college never make it. Consider the Stanford players in this book, Tiger made it big, Notah Begay did well for a brief time but is struggling now, Casey Martin has a circulation problem and didn't make it, Will Yanagisawa I never heard of, Steve Burdick and Jerry Chang didn't make it. OK State players Alan Bratton didn't make it, Chris Tidland and Kris Cox are struggling. These guys were all great junior and college players or they wouldn't have been on these golf teams. I believe that for every Tiger there are thousands of young people that ruin their lives trying to be Tiger. I liked this book and you will too if you are into golf.

I found this to be a solid read for anyone, like myself, who is a rabid golf fan. If you are just casually interested, or if you are just buying the book to read about Tiger Woods, you will be disappointed. But as the book is true to its advertising...in other words, it is about the world of college golf...I got exactly what I was looking for. You learn a lot about the backgrounds of the players and coaches, and also what is involved in the recruiting process. As the book switches back and forth between biographical information and the shot-by-shot details of various tournaments, there is enough variety so that you don't get bored with the story. There is also a nice epilogue which brings you up to date on what has happened to the various people involved since 1995. This will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone with a strong interest in the world of golf.