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THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE

May 31, 2018

Tiger Woods

Dublin, Ohio

Q. Happy with the way you came back?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I fought back and I didn't really have much starting out. Didn't really feel my swing very well and consequently I hit it both ways, mainly left. I wasn't rotating very well. Kind of made a few tweaks, a few changes, made a couple birdies, made a couple putts and lo and behold I finished at even par, which I know it's a long way back, but at least I've got a fighting chance.

Q. Talk about tomorrow now because you did make some good swings in the second nine and that was a nice up-and-down at No. 9.
TIGER WOODS: 9 was huge, just for, I just don't like ending on a bogey. I just hate ending on a bogey. It was nice to somehow grind out the round, turn it around, and finish even par. Lunch will taste a lot better that way.

Q. Have you ever hit a shot from the left side of the hazard on 11 before?
TIGER WOODS: Unfortunately, many times, actually. Yeah, but usually it's driver, trying to drive it in the neck. I've hit it left over there. Not with a 2-iron.

Q. What were the changes? You said you made some tweaks and changes?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I wasn't rotating very well today, back was tight, and just it is what it is some days. And I made a few tweak in my swing, my setup, and lo and behold I was able to make some good swings on the back nine, well, my back nine, and turned the whole thing around.

Q. With all the physical things you had to overcome did you play the course differently today than you would have maybe seven, eight years ago?
TIGER WOODS: Well, yeah. I could whip it around there and rotate the hips and get everything going. I had different ways of playing the game. Obviously I can't do that now. I played it a certain way. But I still have enough power to get out there. This golf course is playing very short today. Because even though it was soft, ball's flying because it's hot, and Rosie and I hit mainly 3-woods all day. Just got it down there, 3-wood was carrying about 280, 290 today, and getting it out there.

Q. When you get off to a start like you did on your front was there any part of that that you felt coming yesterday or was that just completely out of the blue?
TIGER WOODS: No, it just happens. As I said, I wasn't quite feeling that well and just had to make a few adjustments and I was able to make them on the fly, which was nice.

Q. When did your back loosen up?
TIGER WOODS: It didn't. It didn't, no. I have days like that. My back is fused. I'm going to have days where it's just tight. Unfortunately today was one of those days and that's all right. I don't have any pain, thank God. It's just tight. So, no biggy.

Q. Do you find that you're educating a new crowd, maybe a millennial crowd that didn't see you tearing it up in '99 and 2000, and 2001, that these kids want to see it for the first time perhaps in person?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, you know, this is, obviously this is a lot younger crowd than -- a new generation of kids that are out here following us. And even guys that are playing out here. Some of them were born after I turned pro. So it's different. These are, my generation of guys are mainly on the Champions Tour. Those are the guys I played against and played with growing up for the last, what, 15, 20 years out on TOUR. Most of those guys have moved on. I'm one of the young ones left from that generation. But this is a whole new generation out here following us, playing with us, and it's fun.

Q. And you're getting to know these kids?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I am. I am. A lot of these young kids that are out on TOUR, they came out when I was out, so I missed them for a few years there. And being on the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team as an assistant captain I was able to get to know these guys quite a bit and that was a lot of fun for me.

Q. Do you look forward to reuniting with your friends on the Champions Tour?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I'm looking forward to that cart.

Q. What do you think was the most important shot you hit on the front nine?
TIGER WOODS: On the front nine? Probably that 3-iron into 5. That was huge because I just came off 3-putting 4, I hit it over the back on 3, with a wedge, and nothing was kind of -- I needed to get some momentum going here. I had two par-5s left, I have a 3-iron, I could possibly reach 7. I figured I could get to even par somehow. But I needed to take care of 5 first and I was able to do it.

Q. What did you have?
TIGER WOODS: I had 245 hole and flew it 247.

Q. You attribute any of those issues this morning to a lot of golf this week? Monday, Tuesday, long days?
TIGER WOODS: No, I just have days like that. It's aging and it's surgeries. It is what it is. Just got to make the adjustments. I'm able to make them now. Beginning of the year, I wasn't able to make them, because I didn't really know what to do yet. But now you see me making these adjustments on the fly. One of the biggest adjustments is I've been alluding to is going from L.A. to Honda, making those adjustments on the fly. I turned a season around with that.

Q. How disappointed are you in your playing the par-5s? You used to devour them. I know you had two birdies today but you had --
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I had a double and a bogey on the back nine. Sniped a 2-iron on 11, I hit a ball out of bounds over there at 15. Not very good. Majority of my shots were, early were going left and I didn't hit it left on 15.

Q. You said that the conditions were soft. Other guys are saying that the course is in great shape. Did it kind of take you that first front nine to kind of acclimate yourself and that was kind of what you put you in position for the back?
TIGER WOODS: No, the golf course was soft, the ball's flying. Couple -- I mean Dufner got a couple mud balls today. I only got one. You can, I think there were, as it starts to dry out a little bit, I think some of the guys might collect a little bit of mud on their about golf balls. You might see some weird iron shots coming in there. But the fairways are playing so big because they're so soft. You don't have to are worry about run out and you can be very aggressive on the tee shots. But you miss it in this rough, you're going to get penalized.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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