From the hearth - Excerpts of a letter former president George Bush wrote to Tiger Woods following the 1997 Masters. It's found in All the Best, George Bush (My Life in Letters and Other Writings; A Lisa Drew Book/Scribner, 1999).

May 31, 1997

Dear Tiger,

Meeting in that most pleasant brief encounter at the R & A in Scotland like we did a couple of years ago does not really entitle me to be giving you advice; but perhaps genuine respect and affection for you, along with love of golf, does.

Politics is not unlike sports. The press can have you on a pinnacle one day, and then, in pack fashion, can be all over your case the next day. They can do it with carelessness, sometimes meanness. There is no accountability.

. . .Herewith some truisms, some tidbits of advice - perhaps worth what you are paying for them.

When you lose, don't ever let anyone see that you hurt inside. I speak as one who has had his share of big defeats. And don't blame someone else. You never have, you never will.

Give the other guy the benefit of the doubt. You did that with Fuzzy.

Keep being yourself. You are entitled to take time off, to miss an event, to be alone with your friends, to totally unwind. And you don't owe one single person an explanation when you do. The louses in the sporting press might carp and bit; but be yourself. My friend Ted Williams stayed at war with the press most of his playing career, something you won't ever have to do. But Ted is still a legend and his critics are history.

... Invest wisely. Invest conservatively, avoiding the get rich quick schemes. Invest for tomorrow.

Stay close to your family. After all the glamorous walks up those 18th fairways end what will matter in life is your family. When you and your Dad hugged there at Augusta that said it all in terms of the values we Bushes hold dear. And when your great Mom looks at you with such pride and love every mother across America knows how much family matters.

Character matters, too. Decency matters. Honesty matters. You've got 'em all. Never change.

Enough. Forgive me for lecturing. I don't usually do this. But you are a special kid and I don't ever want to see you hurt….

Sincerely,

George Bush

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