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EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 13, 2005

Tiger Woods

IRVING, TEXAS

Q. Were you comfortable really at any point out there?

TIGER WOODS: No, no, I struggled warming up and just didn't quite happen today. It was a very frustrating round because I couldn't quite find where I needed to put the club in the right position to actually make a golf swing. So I was just trying to fly by the night and kind of bandage my way through the finish, but I just didn't quite have it today.

Q. Were you aware of what the number was out there cut-wise?

TIGER WOODS: I figured it was even. Starting out the day, I saw that 89 guys were at even par so I figured it probably would stay there since so many guys were right there. I knew I needed to make par on the last hole and didn't quite do it.

Q. What does it feel like? It's been so long.

TIGER WOODS: I'm hungry right now, I'll tell you that.

Q. Do you feel like right now you've missed it?

TIGER WOODS: No, I'm not going to make it. I definitely missed it.

Q. Put it in perspective for us because it's been a good while and a long run and you've pulled off some miracles along the way.

TIGER WOODS: The only two cuts I missed out here came the same way, I bogeyed the last hole. So that's disappointing.

Q. I know it's a streak that you're proud of.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I fight all the way in. That's how I am.

I think that's indicative to the longevity of the streak. You've got to give it everything you've got, got to have some good breaks along the way and I've definitely had my share, but also I've gutted it out at times where -- like today I didn't quite feel very good, but other times I've gotten it in the clubhouse.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: I figured I just needed to birdie a couple holes coming in. I birdied 16, figured, well, if I birdie one more, I'm in for sure, if I birdie one of the last two. I just didn't quite do it.

Q. It sort of has a symmetry to it since this is Byron's place and it was his streak that you buried so long ago and we've talked about his streaks this year.

TIGER WOODS: It is kind of ironic, isn't it? It's been a nice little -- a nice, what, how many years, seven years? That's not too bad.

Q. The escape on 16, was that any harder than some other escapes you've made?

TIGER WOODS: No, I had a nice normal shot. The lie was good. I had an angle, had no impediment with my golf swing with the tree and I just needed to make sure I cut it against that wind. That was the only thing I was trying to do. I hit a nice little holdy 6-iron in there.

Q. 18 was iron off the tee to kind of keep it in play?

TIGER WOODS: No, just to keep it up on top. Where am I going to go with anything else? You run out of room, and then if anything you have to take it over the trees. I didn't think that was the right play. I've done it so many times, take it over the trees and I end up in the rough or behind a tree somewhere. The last I think three years I've played it on top of the hill and just played it that way.

I had a nice normal 7-iron in there, just tried to hit a nice flat one, line it in the middle of the green, chase it back there, and I got it riding with the wind a little bit too much.

Q. You backed off a couple times. Was it the wind?

TIGER WOODS: You could hear the trees over there gusting pretty hard and I was just waiting for it to lie down just a little bit. If I would have hit when the wind was blowing, with that hard of a shot I had hit, it would have easily flown in the middle of the bunker. I let it die down a little bit, still off the right pretty good, but I let it die down and over-shaped it a little bit.

Q. You seem pretty philosophical about it. Right now it's a pretty amazing run end to end. Will this bother you for a while because it's such a disappointment, or now that it's over will you not worry about it?

TIGER WOODS: It's never a relief when you miss a cut. I've missed two of them so far in my career, and neither of them feel very good, especially when you bogey the last hole on both of them. It's disappointing any time you miss the cut because you're here for four rounds to try to compete to win a account and now I don't get that opportunity to win the golf tournament.

Q. Will the fans picking up the paper tomorrow be shocked? Does that mean your game is that far off or just a bad week? How should golf fans around the country take this?

TIGER WOODS: I just had a tough day. The wind blowing this hard, just didn't quite have the swing where I needed to put it. I made some silly mistakes out there, too. I three-putted a hole from 20 feet, missed a couple short ones out there for birdie; things I don't normally do I did today, and unfortunately it's just one of those days.

Q. Where was the three-putt?

TIGER WOODS: Right after the par 3, 13.

Q. How long was that putt?

TIGER WOODS: 20 feet.

Q. What do you imagine Saturday will be like for you? The other guys will be competing but you'll have your time to yourself.

TIGER WOODS: I'll be working out. I'll be at home working out in the gym and probably more than likely be on the range working on a couple things I still need to fine-tune, and the whole idea is to be ready for the U.S. Open. This is indicative to how I got ready for The Masters unfortunately. I played terrible going into it and then ended up winning it. Hopefully I can turn this around and be ready to go by the U.S. Open.

Q. You said that Byron's streak will never be broken, and I know it's early, but what about your cut streak?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I don't know. We'll see if I can run it for the next eight years and see what happens.

Q. Where do you think that one falls on your list of -- I think you said your six amateurs in a row is probably your favorite, but this, given the competition out here is not --

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think this is more intestinal fortitude than anything else, days when you just don't have it, you don't mail it in, you don't pack it in, you give it everything you've got. You grind it out, I don't care what kind of game you have, you somehow try and find a way to get it done. You've seen me do it over the years. I should have missed many a cuts by now, but you just somehow figure out a way. That's part of my attitude and belief, that you should always have the switch on. You can't turn it on and off.

Q. The bunker shot on the last hole was probably one out of ten with the downslope?

TIGER WOODS: It was impossible to put it close. I was just trying to put it inside 15 feet to give myself a putt at it, just land the ball on the green, take your putt, and I was trying to bury the putt.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: I didn't see anything. The sand flew right in my eyes.

Q. I mean the putt, was there any chance it was going to go in?

TIGER WOODS: No, I hit it too far right.

End of FastScripts.

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