Those who have been a part of the biggest stages of professional golf from 1997 to 2019 would cherish the moments they met Tiger Woods in action. Whether they were playing the event themselves or covering it, the world stood still when the Big Cat was in action. Roger Maltbie understood that, but his bosses still forced him to get into an awkward conversation with Woods.

In an interview with the Golf Channel, Maltbie said, “Years ago, during the broadcast of the U.S. Open, Tommy Roy, our producer, got the idea that he might catch the leaders when they came to the golf course and pulled in the parking lot, to see if we can get a couple of questions as they walked to the clubhouse. And then there’s an understanding that we won’t bother them anymore.”

Tommy Roy is one of the most experienced golf producers in history. With 19 years of experience in the sport, he has quite a history with the sport. His strategy may have seemed logical on paper. But in reality, Maltbie knew that approaching Woods & Co. with such a request might not be acceptable. The popular on-course analyst reflected on how things actually happened.

“So he said, I want you to get Tiger. I was in the parking lot waiting for him. I told Tommy he’s not going to do this. He’s like, ‘We don’t know unless we ask.’ So I see Tiger. I got the camera guy. We run up. I say, ‘Tiger, can we get a couple of questions with you on the way to the clubhouse?’ He looked at me kind of funny and went ‘No.’ I said, ‘I knew that would be the answer, but I get paid a lot of money to do what my boss tells me. But I get paid a lot more to not do it.'”

On the fairway, Maltbie has had multiple interactions with Woods. Some of their most outstanding conversations include the 2000 U.S. Open interview. The NBC reporter described the performance as the greatest major performance in the history of the game. So it wasn’t like Maltbie didn’t know Woods. In fact, he knew the Big Cat enough to understand the approach proposed by Roy would be considered awkward. And as the analyst anticipated, he was flat-out rejected.

Interestingly, it wasn’t just the situation that may have made the interaction awkward between Woods and Maltbie. The 15-time major winner confessed there was one thing he struggled with early in his career. That may have played a role when the NBC analyst approached him in the parking lot.

Tiger Woods may have faced his worst nightmare when he was approached in the parking lot for an interview

It’s no secret that Tiger Woods never shared a great relationship with the media. It’s uncertain if his relationship with the reporters had gotten sour when Roger Matlbie approached him. But the Big Cat revealed what he always struggled with during his prime.

“I was never as good as he [Palmer] was with social interaction with people,” Woods told Max Homa. He added, “The way he brought everyone in. That’s not how I played. I was kind of focused on what I was doing. But I think that being around him, it just made me more comfortable about being around people.”

This conversation happened during an episode of ‘The Tiger Effect: 30 Years Of Influence.’ It was Homa‘s turn to interview the 82-time PGA Tour champion this time.

As Woods mentioned, he was never as great as the enigmatic Arnold Palmer in managing media relations. In fact, even Jack Nicklaus was considered an exceptional performer during the interviews. But Woods always hated how the media presented him to the fans. Hence, he was never able to build a positive relationship with them.