Shane Ryan

If you're an avid follower of professional golf this is an interesting read, but with some qualifications. Ryan followed the professional tour in 2014, so he was able to profile most of the players who are now providing the excitement that Tiger Woods once did—Jordan Spieth, Justin Day, Patrick Reed, etc. And he provides a lot of insight into what it really means to be on the tournament. Further, he does dig—in fact some of his chapters have received quite a lot of notoriety - particular the one on Reed as he dug up Reed's questionable behavior in college (alleged cheating, theft) as well as the one on Bubba Watson, who he accuses of being a hypocrite when it comes to his religion.

But the problem is that he does not shy from expressing his personal opinions about people and places - and he can really be snarky, especially against those who, like Bubba, wouldn't sit down with him and pour out their life stories. And he can be downright mean—for example, he really attacks Florida and writes about it quite sneeringly as a tacky, lower-class place where obviously people of discerning taste would never choose to live—I don't live there, but still thought the description was below-the-belt.

Essentially he's a National Enquirer type of reporter - probably gets a lot right about he digs up, but there's a tone of gossip and judgement that really doesn't below in first-rate reporting. So it's an interesting read, but I'd take everything he writes with a dose of scepticism.… (mehr)