The Tiger Rules: The 5 Secrets of His Dominance.

In 2001, writer and former editor at Newsweek Devin Gordon wrote a profile about American professional golfer Tiger Wood which is still as relevant as ever. I first became aware of the Newsweek article by listening to Ed Mylett Podcast. Ed considers the article to be one of the most impactful articles that he has ever read and he has carried the physical magazine with him for 25 years. I agree with Ed, the article is really good as it contains five strategies for dominating in life and career.

Three years younger than Michael Jordan when he won his first NBA title, Woods is emerging as the best of an elite crop of athletes: the dominators. Obviously, stars like Tiger are supremely gifted physically, but it goes well beyond that: dominators possess uncommon emotional control and unlimited reservoirs of passion. What makes these athletes so much better than even the finest in their sport? NEWSWEEK asked a dozen true dominators–Wayne Gretzky, Martina Navratilova, Joe Montana, Jordan (a close friend of Woods’s; following story), and more–what it takes to be the best of the best.

The Tiger Rules: The 5 Secrets of His Dominance.
1. Genius Is 99% Perspiration
2. Let The Other Guy Get Nervous
3. Don’t Just Dominate, Intimidate
4. Have A Sense Of The Historic
5. Never, Ever Be Satisfied

1. Genius Is 99% Perspiration
It begins, they all agree, with good old-fashioned hard work. There is no magic pill, no such thing as effortless grace.

Martina Navratilova (Winner of 167 singles titles, including a record nine Wimbledons)

At this level, talent is a given. But Tiger works harder than anyone out there, and that’s why he’s kicking butt. Every great shot you hit, you’ve already hit a bunch of times in practice.

Joe Montana, who led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl wins in the 1980s:

The vast majority of athletes have a much lower tolerance for preparation. It’s not the pain. It’s simpler than that: practice can be boring. “A lot of guys say, ‘Yeah, I watched two hours of [game] film last night.’ But they’re not really studying what’s going on. They may as well have been watching television.”
Tiger’s habit of pounding golf ball after golf ball long into the twilight–often during tournament play–has already become part of his legend. During his so-called slump earlier this year, Woods claimed he was simply working on shots he would need specifically for the Masters in April. People rolled their eyes. Until he won the Masters.

Wayne Gretzky, hockey’s leading scorer and four-time Stanley Cup winner.

No matter who you are, no matter how good an athlete you are, we’re creatures of habit. The better your habits are, the better they’ll be in pressure situations.

2. Let The Other Guy Get Nervous

Wayne Gretzky

Believe it or not, the bigger the game, the calmer I seemed to get. The dominators then let the other guy’s butterflies become a weapon on their behalf.

Joe Montana

It can be a big blow to anyone’s confidence. Montana says he sees it written on golfers’ faces when he watches Woods on TV: “He gets on a roll, and everybody else starts looking at the board to see what Tiger’s doing. They’re watching TV, too, and they should be playing.”

3. Don’t Just Dominate, Intimidate

Tiger has repeatedly said that intimidation isn’t part of his game, that once he’s on the course he’s thinking about nothing but his own shot making. Sure, once he’s on the course, but what about when he’s getting dressed in the morning? It’s no coincidence that Tiger often pulls out a blood-red sweater for his Sunday charges, just as it wasn’t chance that Dale Earnhardt preferred dark sunglasses and drove a black and white stock car that looked like a 200mph pirate ship.

4. Have A Sense Of The Historic

Tiger is the proof. He’s at the head of this heavenly crew of athletes not because he’s won five of his past six tournaments, but because he has won five of the past six major tournaments. Every athlete says he wants to win a major title or a team championship. But Tiger doesn’t just want those moments of glory. He has an innate sense that he can’t be a legend without them.

5. Never, Ever Be Satisfied

Most athletes work the hardest when they’re trying to reach the top, but Tiger has seemed only more committed to improving his game since leaving the competition in the dust. Woods won his first Masters–by the largest margin in history–in 1997, but he knew that he wouldn’t reach Jack Nicklaus’s mark of six green jackets without a jolt to his game. So he spent the next 18 months retooling his thunderous, but often wild, swing.