Tiger Woods' Success Will Steal Thunder from Hank Haney's Book "The Big Miss"

Hank Haney didn't expect Tiger Woods to win his first PGA Tour event in 30 months just a couple of days before his tell-all book was released.

Maybe Haney didn't expect Woods to win much of anything ever again, or else he'd still be the golf legend's coach.

Haney's book about Woods, The Big Miss, was released on Tuesday, just in time for the Masters—and for Woods' comeback. Tiger won the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, ending a lengthy drought in which he sustained a seemingly endless stream of injuries and public humiliation because of his private life—some of which, as of late, Haney has added to.

Although Woods couldn't stop his former coach from releasing a book that details the road to his fall from grace that began in 2009 with the public's discovery of his alleged infidelity, he could divert some of the attention away from the book by doing what he does best: hitting the ball.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Gwen Knapp revealed some of the book's themes in her column on Tuesday:

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Haney noted that Woods felt more comfortable with golfers who did not pose a threat to him on the course. Real competitors brought out a certain hostility. It's rarely surprising to hear that an elite athlete crafts chips to wear on his shoulder.

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It's unsurprising that Woods employed the same strategy to win last week's tournament and therefore steal some of the thunder bound to accompany Haney's book release. Just like he would if Haney was his opponent on the course, Woods turned his former swing coach into his opponent and used his fierce competitive edge to defeat him—psychologically, at least.

If Woods hadn't won the Arnold Palmer Invitational—if he finished in the middle of the pack, coming off a tournament in which he had to withdraw due to injury, knowing the Masters was only a week away—people would be talking much more about Haney's book.

People might also question whether its imminent release had an impact on Woods' performance in the tournament. Or whether some of Haney's more incriminating allegations were really true.

Instead, people are talking about Woods' comeback, about his chances of winning the Masters, which now seems like more of a possibility than it has in a long time and dismiss Haney's book with an eye roll—electing to talk about Woods' play on the course.

Woods couldn't have picked a more perfect time to stage his comeback.

Haney loses this round.