Tiger Woods has hit out at a parody interview by American golf writer Dan Jenkins.

Jenkins, who writes for Golf Digest, wrote a fictitious interview in the December issue of the magazine under the headline “My Interview With Tiger*”, with the asterisk pointing to a sub-heading: “Or how it plays out in my mind”.

Among the points it take issue with Woods on is his tendency to get rid of long-time staff.

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After being asked why he hasn’t parted company with long-time agent Mark Steinberg, ‘Woods’ replies: “I’ll probably get around to it. I like to fire people.”

The interview also broaches Woods’ reputation as a poor tipper. (“I don’t understand why you’re supposed to tip people for doing a job they’re already getting paid to do.”)

Not the real deal: the fake Tiger run by Golf Digest.

The magazine even commissioned a photo shoot with a Woods’ lookalike.

But the golfer hasn’t taken the slight lying down, taking to The Players’ Tribune – a website started by New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter – to hit out at 84-year-old Jenkins.

“All athletes know that we will be under scrutiny from the media. But this concocted article was below the belt,” Woods wrote.

“Whether it’s misreported information or opinions I think are way off base, I let plenty of things slide. But this time I can’t do that.

“The sheer nastiness of this attack, the photos and how it put false words in my mouth just had to be confronted.

“Good-natured satire is one thing, but no fair-minded writer would put someone in the position of having to publicly deny that he mistreats his friends, takes pleasure in firing people and stiffs on tips — and a lot of other slurs, too.

“The truth is, Jenkins has no idea how I think or feel about any of the things he claims to know about, which is why he had to make things up.

“Frustration or resentment because I have not been more available to him should not give him a license for an underhanded attack on me as an athlete, as a professional and as a person.

“I guess Golf Digest’s editors believe this is a good way to sell more magazines. I’ll bet their readers don’t think so.

“Funny they didn’t think this poorly of me when I worked with the magazine. I have to say I was surprised when I saw this piece came from Jenkins, who is one of the most distinguished golf writers out there.”

Jenkins took to Twitter to respond to Woods’ article, declaring he could have gone much harder in the parody.

My next column for Tiger: defining parody and satire. I thought I let him off easy: http://t.co/E7e9imSKwO

— Dan Jenkins (@danjenkinsgd) November 18, 2014