Making his debut in August 1996, Tiger Woods already had quite an accomplished career as a junior/amateur. He was about to break into the pro scene and no one would have imagined what kind of a player he would eventually become. Just three months in, we saw Tiger Woods capture his first trophy at the TPC Summerlin. The Las Vegas Invitational was only the first of 6 trophies he would win over the next two years.
Along with the support of his coaches, agent, and fans, Tiger Woods had already become an icon of the sport. And during this period, everyone might have thought everything was great in the Woods camp as they looked forward to achieving more success. But that was not the case in the former world no.1’s head. Woods eventually ended up firing his former agent unexpectedly.
26 years after the incident, we hear from Hughes Norton himself explaining what actually happened. So let’s take a deep dive into the story from Hughes’ perspective.
What happened 26 years ago with Tiger Woods?
In an interview for The Golfer’s Journal, former IMG agent Hughes Norton shared his experience with the golf legend and how things ended between the two. He mentions that it had been 2 years and a month since he started representing Tiger Woods.
In September 1998, Hughes received a call from Woods. Soon after he greets Woods, the first response he gets is “Hughes, it’s over.” Perplexed by the statement, Hughes questioned Woods’ statement. The next few words by the 15-time Majors winner shook the retired IMG employee. “I don’t want you to represent me anymore,” said Woods.
Unable to grasp what he just learned, Hughes asked his boss if he was joking. To which Tiger Woods replied, “No. I’ve just made a decision. I’m just letting you know.” In an attempt to get some perspective and try to convince him against it, Hughes suggested that he would go meet Woods in Florida. But Woods refused him to do any such thing as he had already said everything that needed to be said and there was nothing further to add.
Still looking for an explanation, Hughes asked why he had decided to take this step. Tiger Woods simply replied that he ‘wanted to make a change’. Against the pro golfer’s will, Hughes continued to ‘persuade’ him saying that he was not going to accept the decision Woods had taken.
Hughes went on to visit him at his estate and Woods was still hostile when they met. Their last conversation was at Tiger Woods’ doorstep as he said, “I told you not to come down here.” Hughes described how cold Woods was during the confrontation specifying that his eyes were ‘zombie-like’. Tiger Woods’ last words to him were, “I told you this was a waste of time. I don’t want to discuss it. My mind is made up.” Hughes Norton confirmed that was the last time he ever spoke to the golfer.
We all know how much Tiger Woods went on to achieve and became a legend in golf. But this just gives us a glimpse at the kind of person he was outside of golf at the beginning of his pro career. Do you think he still has the same personality? Or has a long career and a lot more life experience changed him over the years? Share your views in the comments section.
