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VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2018

Tiger Woods

Palm Harbor, Florida

Q. You told us yesterday you were curious how your nerves were going to be today. How did you react?
TIGER WOODS: I felt very comfortable, actually. I didn't feel that sharp with my iron game. I played very conservatively into the greens because I wasn't as sharp as I was yesterday and just tried to hopefully get a couple good numbers and fire at a few flags. I kept getting the half club, just one of those days I couldn't quite get the full club.

Q. Saw the magic there late on the round at the 71st hole, the long birdie putt. When you stood over that ball right there what were you thinking?
TIGER WOODS: Get the right speed, and get to the picture and get the right speed. I hit a good dying pace. Took forever for that grain to take it. It finally did.

Q. You said over the years that's what your dad taught you, get that done. As for the week, you told us on Thursday that you're right there in the middle of the process of getting it back in gear. What do you take away from a week like this?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I think that I've gotten a little bit better than I was a couple weeks ago at Honda, keep getting a little bit better and sharper and today wasn't quite as sharp as I would like to have had it but I had a good shot as winning this golf tournament. Couple putts here and there would have been a different story.

Q. Golfs fans, sports fans excited to see you two weeks in a row. Back to Bay Hill. You've won plenty of times there.
What do you think it will be like for you the next few days to get ready for another one on Thursday?

TIGER WOODS: I'm not touching the club tomorrow. Get some rest and get ready to head up there. I've got some things to do but I hadn't played Arnold's tournament in a couple years now.

Unfortunately, I didn't play when he was -- before his passing. It's going to be good for me to get back. I've had some great memories there. I have won there a few times, but I used to live there, my kids were born there. Great town and atmosphere.

Q. Every golfer wants to win every week. Despite that you got to be pretty pleased with your play this week.
TIGER WOODS: I was close. I had a chance today. Unfortunately I just didn't quite feel as sharp as I needed to with my irons, played a little conservative because of it. I just needed to handle the par-5s a little better. Missed a short one there on 4 for par. Should have two-putted 14. I know that was a long putt but I was trying to leave it below the hole. I overdid it. I missed it.

Nice putt at 17. Gave myself a chance going to 18 and one thing you can't do is leave it short. The grain chewed it up up the hill. Unfortunately, didn't get it there.

Q. Going to a place next week you've had a lot of success.
TIGER WOODS: I'm really looking forward to next week. I hadn't played there in a couple years because of my back and I wanted to play there a couple years ago. We were close to -- knew Arnold was not in very good shape. I wanted to play one last time before he moved on and unfortunately I just couldn't play. So, nice to go back to Orlando. My kids were born there, I've had a lot of success. I used to live there. Good week next week.

Q. Tiger, what was the feeling like walking up 18 knowing you had a chance first time in all these years in that position coming down to the last hole?
TIGER WOODS: I was very thankful I made the putt on 17. I didn't want to have to try to hole it from the fairway. But I had a few, unfortunately, a couple good looks and just didn't make them today. They were a little bit outside the range.

As I was saying, I wasn't as sharp as I wanted to feel with my iron game today. You know, it's one of those days where I kept getting the half club. It was a half club this way and that way. I couldn't quite get a full swing at it and on top of that just not having my iron game as sharp as I needed to have. It showed it in my amount of birdies today.

Q. Tiger, can you put into words maybe some of the emotion and adrenaline today for being back with a chance to win on a Sunday and just what was that like for you even though you weren't as sharp?
TIGER WOODS: I was just grinding and try to put myself in there. I knew that -- I felt like 11, maybe 12 might do it because there were so many guys stacked up there. I thought somebody might come out of the pack from 5, 6 and shoot a low one but no one really did anything except for Paul. He shot a low one. He put it on us and got it done.

Q. In terms of your emotions being back in here again.
TIGER WOODS: I felt very comfortable. As I told you guys yesterday, I've been here before a few times. So I felt very comfortable. My game was quite solid this entire week. As a whole I felt very good about what I did this week.

Q. What's the one shot that will keep you up at night you'll be thinking about?
TIGER WOODS: No, not one. There's a few here and there but it all adds up. You miss a putt or miss a shot on Thursday. Same as on Sunday.

Q. Long-term big picture, what is this going to say --
TIGER WOODS: I believe my game is progressing. As I was telling you guys yesterday, I had really some nice building blocks at Honda and I've had a few tweaks for this week and it paid off.

I hit the ball well, made some putts this week and, you know, the thing that I was the most happy about this week is when I did miss, I missed on the correct side and that's what we have to do out here.

My up and downs were relatively easy this week, all things considered. You know, if I missed the fairway I was on the correct side. If I missed the green, I was on the correct side. That adds up over the course of a week.

Q. How encouraged are you heading into Bay Hill?
TIGER WOODS: I'm very excited. It's a golf course I like. I've played well there throughout the years and just haven't been back in a couple years. Nice to get back.

Q. Can you talk us through the putt on 17?
TIGER WOODS: The putt on 17 was right to left. The grain goes from more dead across as it comes across, the first part of my putt then it switches to down and when it switches to down, I just kept telling myself just putt to the picture, keep putting to the picture and I did, putted to the picture.

Q. What tweaks did you make this week?
TIGER WOODS: Just a couple of things that my set-up and I was just trying to get my posture organized a little bit more and just not major things, little things and just makes for better passes through the golf ball.

Q. Do you walk away any less disappointing from not winning than you would have been from five, six years ago?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah. I had a chance. Yeah, I really did. The golf course the way -- it's difficult the way it was playing today. I thought it was going to take a little more to score. The front-9 no one was doing much and I just thought that if I could just make a few birdies in the back-9, shoot 3-under par on the back-9 I think that would have been the number to do it in and actually would have been the number.

Q. Tiger, did you consider hitting more off the tee on 18, a long shot you had left?
TIGER WOODS: No. I bring the right part of that fairway where it cuts in a little bit with 3-wood into play and on top of that the wind is off the left.

If I'm going to squeeze it in I want to cut it. I didn't feel comfortable with that. If anything, that 2-iron I could have hit it flatter and hotter but, hey, I'm in the fairway, I got a shot at this thing. Unfortunately, I didn't hit it close enough.

Q. What club was it you had?
TIGER WOODS: I had 184 up the hill and hit 7-iron.

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