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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 10, 2018

Tiger Woods

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Q. Take us through your round today.
TIGER WOODS: I felt like today the way I was hitting the golf ball, especially toward the back nine, that I felt like I should have shot something in the 60s, but didn't do it. Boy, it was nice to turn the round completely around there at 9. I hit a nice drive down there, hit a 6-iron just over the back and made a putt there and it was a nice turnaround. I felt like I had two par-5s on the back nine, could have played those under par, and maybe got a couple other here and there and seemed like this golf course could have been had today.

A lot of guys were under par, a bunch of guys in the 60s today, and it was playing a little bit on the softer side, and with this heat -- even the wind picked up, with this heat the ball's flying forever.

Q. Do you expect based on your previous experience here that because of all the low scores tomorrow they will set it up try to bring some of the scores back?
TIGER WOODS: No, the pin locations were about the same as today. We see the dots out there as we're walking around it. The majority of them are accessible. There are a few difficult ones, but then again, there's a lot of birdie holes out there tomorrow, and if it stays cool -- or I'm sorry, calm in the morning, you'll see a bunch of guys go low, and I think tomorrow's supposed to be the hottest day of the week, and if that's the case, again, the golf ball is going to be going forever. So this golf course won't be playing very long.

Q. What aspect of your game needs to come together tomorrow for you to get in the 60s?
TIGER WOODS: Well I got to drive it a little bit better than I did today and obviously hit the ball closer. Starting to putt good again and get on greens that I know, and I just need to get the ball a little bit closer and a little bit faster than I did today.

Q. Do you think about beating the guys that you're playing with on Thursday and Friday, too?
TIGER WOODS: No, no. When I left to go warm up, to be in the top-10, there already were 15 guys that were 69 or better. No, I mean we have to go out there and tear this place apart. We got to be aggressive and go low. This golf course is playing a little bit on the easier side, and so no, what my playing partners are doing, there's too many guys out there that are playing really well and going low, and my responsibility was to go low and shoot something in the red today.

Q. What did you think of the crowds?
TIGER WOODS: They were into it early. As I was telling Sandsy over there towards the back nine it started getting a little sparse. I think they might have tipped back a couple and got a little sleepy. I think tomorrow will be a little bit different. Tomorrow they will be out early, I'm sure, and they will be into it and it will be fun for Phil and Rickie and myself.

Q. You talk about getting more reps in; do you feel every round you're playing now are you getting more and more comfortable with your game?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I am. I feel like I have my playing feels back. Now it's just a matter of just going out there and staying fine tuned, but I still have to -- how can I put it? I still have to pace myself in how much I practice and how much I play. I know you've heard me say this a bunch of times, but this is all new. So, yeah, I have to watch out, I can't practice as much as I would like, but I played enough early this year and especially more than I thought I would, and so I have got -- I was able to get my playing feels back and so to be able to maintain them is a little bit easier now than I thought it would have been this time of year.

Q. On both par-3s on the back it seemed like you hit it right at the pin and it flew further than you were expecting. Was that an issue with the wind or what?
TIGER WOODS: Well what happened at 13, I tried to fit a 7-iron in there and it didn't go anywhere; it barely got to the front edge. I hit 7 on a good flight, just carried just past the flag, was all over it. And 17, it's just one of those weird things where with the chalets up, if you get the ball high enough, then it will float like mine did. My ball carried on the wind. Both Rickie and Phil didn't quite hit the ball as high as I did and it got knocked down. Their balls, they were good shots but the wind just actually knocked it down. So yeah, I hit two good shots there and ended up in two difficult spots.

Q. How big was the putt on 18?
TIGER WOODS: Well I didn't want to shoot over par today. I feel like I was playing better than that. I was telling Sandsy, it wasn't like I drew a bad lie on that tee box, that was just a bad golf shot. And to have 245 front and hit a 3-iron that went about 280, 285, somewhere in there, I just didn't want to drop a shot, didn't want to shoot an over-par round. I knew I was going to drop a shot but didn't want to shoot over-par round. I was playing better than that. So it was nice to make that putt.

Q. You said obviously you tee off, you know you're already four, five, six back, and any impatience on the front nine as you're not making any birdies? Obviously you get the eagle at 9 but I'm just wondering what your mindset is, if you're pressing at all or having a hard time staying patient?
TIGER WOODS: Well the start I had, I wouldn't get, I wouldn't get to the lead, but I certainly could get to between 3- and 5-under par. I still had three par-5s ahead of me, I still had a couple easy par-4s, with the wind blowing I knew I had sand wedge into 17. Yeah, I had some birdieable holes, and I thought anywhere between 3 and 5 would have been good after being 2-over par. And I had the chance, I just didn't do it.

Q. Were you trying to get to even par going into the second nine when you eagled the 9th hole or were you trying to get a shot back?
TIGER WOODS: I was telling Joey it would be nice to make the turn at 1-over par or better. And I happened to make an eagle and get to even par, which was great. I feel like going to the back nine I could easily shoot something 4- or 5-under par with the pin locations the way they were, and as warm as it is right now, that's not out of reach. I looked at most of the scores this morning, most of the guys who were playing well were doing it on the back nine. That's where all the birdies were being made. So turning at even par, shooting 3 or 5 on the back nine was certainly doable.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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