October 07, 2005

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

A Tiger's tale

by Nathan Kurz

Everyone remembers Nick Robinson's game-winning shot from the Arizona game two years ago. The pandemonium, the rowdy student section storming the court, the hilarity of it all-it was a moment witnessed by few and cherished by many.

Mark Soltau, for one, can say he was there. As a guest of Tiger Woods.

While Jerry Chang escorting Woods out of Maples Pavilion remains a ubiquitous image from that day, only some noticed Soltau, Woods' website manager and a Menlo Park resident, help Jim Plunkett's wife untangle her foot from a chair pushed aside by the onrushing Stanford students.

"That was a great day," Soltau said. "It was fun to see Tiger relax and blend into the crowd."

This is just one of many memories Soltau and Woods have shared in a partnership that's lasted nearly nine years.

Soltau, who writes all the material appearing on tigerwoods.com, is accompanying arguably the world's most famous athlete to San Francisco's Harding Park Golf Course for the 2005 American Express Championship, which got under way Thursday and concludes Sunday.

The four-day event will mark Woods' first appearance in the Bay Area since he played in the 1998 U.S. Open at San Francisco's Olympic Club.

Woods, of course, won two amateur titles at Stanford before turning pro, ushering in an era of dominance heretofore seen only in the days of Jack Nicklaus.

And at Stanford is where the story of Soltau and Woods begins.

In 1995, Woods was a well-hyped freshman golfer on The Farm and Soltau, then a writer for the San Francisco Examiner, drove one afternoon to the Stanford Golf Course to write a column about the new phenom.

As he recalls it, the two met on the driving range, spent a few hours together-and the rest was history.

"I'm an avid golfer, so we hit it off talking" said Soltau, who was an all-league golfer at Palo Alto High in the 1970s and played for four years at Chico State. "We had lunch and a friendship was borne.

"You could see right away this kid was destined for stardom. Even the sound of the ball coming off the club was more different than anything I'd ever seen or heard."

Soltau stayed in touch with Woods and continued to cover some of his events for the newspaper.

Then, when Tiger turned pro in 1997, he looked to Soltau to head his official website-the means by which Woods has disseminated much important information to the fans and media alike over the years.

Soltau jumped at the chance. He quit his job at the Examiner, where he had worked for 16 years, and transformed overnight into the spokesman for one of the world's most visible people.

"Just to work with Tiger was too good of an opportunity to pass up," Soltau said. "For him to want me to be a part of his team, I just felt I couldn't afford to pass it up.

"He needed someone who knew the landscape and could help him adapt. I think he wanted to be around someone who understood him. I'd like to think I've got his trust."

With the career change, golf became full-time job for Soltau, who routinely covers 15-20 of Woods' events per year and has witnessed in person all 10 of Tiger's major championship victories.

"I get a front row seat for most of his tournaments and that's been a great experience for me," he said. "He's transcended sports and golf."

If he's covering a Woods tournament, the two usually speak daily. Otherwise they'll talk a couple times a month, both for articles on the website and for "Tiger Tips"-a monthly feature in Golf Digest written by Soltau offering playing advice for golfers of all levels.

So it's probably not a stretch to say that Soltau knows Woods better than almost anyone.

"I get asked all the time what Tiger is like," Soltau said. "He's got a dry sense of humor; he's a smart guy and a quick study. But he's also very private. I'm pretty good at sensing his moods. I've tried to stay in the background as much as possible."

As a former print journalist, Soltau has a unique perspective to offer as part of Woods' close-knit entourage.

"He's the most mentally tough guy I've ever been around in sports, and I've covered pretty much all of them," Soltau said. "I covered (Joe) Montana (in his heyday) with the 49ers, but Tiger is a rock star everywhere he goes."

Nowhere more than the Bay Area, too. Soltau hinted that he's gotten an inordinate amount of phone calls asking for tickets to this week's event.

"Home games are always the toughest," he said.

In the last two years, Woods has struggled to match his level of play from earlier in his career, including 2000, when he won 11 tournaments and three majors.

But with two major wins this year, Woods has validated the work he's put in with swing coach Hank Kuehne, silenced the pundits and got himself back on course to challenge the all-time record of 18 wins in a major tournament.

"Tiger was really just a few putts from running the table," Soltau said. "He gets held to such a different standard, anyway. If he only wins five tournaments all year, people ask what's wrong."

At least in the last few years, Soltau has been able to see Woods' game first-hand.

By playing a round with him.

The two have played golf once in each of the last three years, the last time coming at Woods' home course in Florida.

"I wish more of his game rubbed off on me," Soltau said. "Even when I play well he gets in a few laughs at my swings."

E-mail a friend a link to this story.