Few people have the opportunity to meet Tiger Woods; even fewer take it for one-on-one lessons. Although being a famous musician certainly helps.
Train frontman Pat Monahan was this week’s guest Subpar podcastwhere he discussed meeting Tiger Woods, playing Augusta National, his band’s upcoming tour and more. He has met with Woods several times over the years, though the first came a few years ago when Woods needed a last-minute fill-in to headline his annual Tiger Jam fundraiser.
Woods’ management team called Monahan to see if Train would be interested in playing after one act was a late cancellation.
“I was like, ‘I’m good, I’ve been working hard,'” Monahan said on the podcast. “And they said, ‘Tiger’s going to give you a one-hour lesson.’ I was like, ‘I’ll be there tomorrow.’
During their lesson, Monahan learned why Woods got tired of the pro-am (six-hour round), and Tiger even told a strange story that led him to the conclusion: “I think this is the last one.” Above all, Monahan simply appreciated that Woods seemed like a normal person.
“He’s one of my favorite guys,” Monahan said. “He’s like one of us. He carries himself so professionally, but when you get him in a small group, he’s just a guy. I just wanted to hit some good shots and I did, and he said, ‘Whoa, Pat can take a shot.’ He made it more fun than stressful. It wasn’t a round of golf, it was just me on the range with him. There was no pressure to make par or anything.”
Although if there’s one thing the world knows about Woods, it’s that he doesn’t let people into his inner circle easily.
“I’m like, ‘Man, I want to be best friends,'” Monahan said. “And he’s like, ‘I’m fine.'” (laugh)
You can listen to the full interview with Monahan here or look at it to YouTube below.
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