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THE HONDA CLASSIC

February 23, 2018

Tiger Woods

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Q. Can you talk about your round?
TIGER WOODS: Well, it was just a tough day. You know, the wind is howling out there and it's just hard to make putts. And so it was just a difficult day all around.

Q. That shot on 17 isn't easy no matter what? How tough was it and how good was it?
TIGER WOODS: I was just telling Steve here that when I was on the tee, Sneds hit a good one, good 5-iron in there and when I got up on the tee, the wind laid down, and I'm like, well, 5 is too much but I can't get 6 there. So that's one of the reasons why I started that thing pretty far left and hit a pretty big cut in there because I had just too much stick. Worked out great. I hit it right below the hole and hit a good putt.

Q. You saw your name up on the leaderboard, and as close as you were to the top of the lead, did those juices start flowing? Did you get those old feelings back?
TIGER WOODS: We've got a long way to go.

Q. Not that long?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, we do. When I got up near, when I was about two or three back, we still had 45 more holes to go. So a long way to go.

Q. What was the importance of 17, to get that back?
TIGER WOODS: I was just trying to hit the green. I was saying to Bob here, I got stuck right between two clubs because that wind laid down. Now, do I wait for the wind to pick up where 5's good? But if I pin it, it's going to come up short. So I just went with the wind as it was and hit a big old cut in there.

Q. What was the best thing you could get out of the weekend now?
TIGER WOODS: Well, right now, I think I'm four back right now, as of right now. So I'm right there in the ballgame.

Q. With the conditions, how well did you play?
TIGER WOODS: You know, Tom, I really played well today. I played well all day. It was just tough scoring. It really is hard to make birdies. At least I found it hard. It was hard to get the ball close, even if the ball is in the fairway, it's still very difficult to get the ball close, with the wind blowing as hard as it is. Once you put the ball in birdie range, it's hard to make putts out here.

Q. What's it like looking at the leaderboard and knowing where you're at --
TIGER WOODS: I saw that no one is going to go anywhere out there. It's just too difficult right now for someone to go out there and shoot 63 or something like that and post themselves pretty far ahead. You saw Alex right behind us, he struggled today. I think he shot four or five today.

It's difficult out there. It's very hard to make birdies out there. Hard to find some. Even with some of the wedges, you had to be very careful because they are tucked pretty close to some of the fall-offs.

Q. A week ago today to now --
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, as I was telling you guys, I love Riviera. I just don't play well there. So here we are, we're back at a golf course I know and I play well here at, and I felt like I've hit a lot of good golf shots, especially in this wind. I've controlled my ball flight. On top of that, I've shaped it both ways and felt very comfortable shaping it both ways. That's very comforting.

Q. Do you feel like you're ahead of schedule then?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I feel like I'm right there. I'm right where I can win a golf tournament. You know, four back on this golf course with 36 holes to go, I mean, anybody can win this golf tournament right now. It's wide open.

Q. How do you feel in this event going into the weekend with a decent chance to win, as opposed to Torrey Pines where you were further back?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it was a bit of a struggle. I told some of the guys who were there, if I shot 65 on Sunday, I could probably post and win the tournament. That was the playoff number, unfortunately. I just didn't do it.

Here, I'm right there. This is a difficult golf course right now. Making pars is a good thing. I've done that and I'm right there with a chance. I'm only four back with two difficult days to go.

Q. Do you want the wind to blow tomorrow?
TIGER WOODS: It all blows in South Florida. It's just the direction that it's coming from. It's pretty difficult wind. The par 3s, 15 and 17, into the wind, it's a task because -- I saw the dots for tomorrow, there's really no bail-out. That's the problem. You bail out in those bunkers, it's hard to get close. You have to step up and hit good golf shots.

Q. Are you pleased with your progress?
TIGER WOODS: I'm getting there. I feel like I've made some nice tweaks. I'm hitting the ball flush, and on top of that, I'm really controlling the traj, and especially here with the wind blowing this hard, I felt it was very important -- it was also very comforting, too, because I live here and I practice here, and it's always blowing like this.

It's just I don't play a golf course this difficult out here with the rough like this and this kind of setup. But it's usually blowing here and I feel very comfortable.

Q. How did you feel about the crowd on 17, was it close to the edge?
TIGER WOODS: As long as they don't yell on our golf swings, we're fine. They can be raucous. They are having a great time. It's fun. They are having a blast and hopefully we can execute golf shots but as long as they don't yell on our golf swings, everything's cool.

I know Phoenix guys were telling me this year, they were yelling and trying to time it. Well, there's really no reason to do that. I think that most of the people there at 17, most of them are golfers and they understand how hard a golf shot that is. So they are being respectful but obviously libations are flowing.

Q. What was the distance?
TIGER WOODS: I had 71 and 84 total. 184.

Q. How would you describe that drive on 10?
TIGER WOODS: On 10? It was a good one. I felt like I hit the ball probably five yards right of where I wanted to. Today we were committed to being just a little further left. Joey thought I might be in the right rough but the ball's flying. It's so hot out here, the ball is flying. We're hitting the ball, at least we were, probably half a club to three quarters of a club further, so that line was fine.

Q. You've been asked questions about how difficult these last three events have been for you, but do you feel it's suited you in a way in how tough they have been?
TIGER WOODS: Well, maybe I ought to have been a little bit smarter to pick some easier venues, but these are three very difficult venues that I've come back to. Very difficult driving golf courses. You know, this week, they are a little bit more difficult on the greens but overall, I'm very pleased where I'm at right now.

Q. Tough conditions on a tough golf course, does that play into your hands on why you're moving up the leaderboard the way you have with the experience you have?
TIGER WOODS: I'm just being very steady. I'm trying to make a lot of pars, maybe sprinkle in a birdie here and there. It's going to come down to a pretty bunched leaderboard on Sunday. We all know that. It's going to get jam packed. Anybody can win this tournament. 3-, 4-over par, you can still win this tournament easily just because it's so difficult to make birdies out here. It would be a different story if we felt a little bit more comfortable on the greens, if they were a bit smoother, but that's not the case.

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