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THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

June 6, 2004

Tiger Woods

DUBLIN, OHIO

Q. You almost owned 14.

TIGER WOODS: How about that, huh? That was another one of my greasy pars there.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: Not a whole lot, because I knew if I laid up it would be just a brutal pin to try to get close to to make birdie. It's only 3-over the bunker. It was actually playing downwind for the first time all week, so I decided to go ahead and take a crack at it.

Q. Did 14 harken back at all to what you did in 99 there?

TIGER WOODS: Close to it. I think that was for par there, as well. The only difference is I had the lead.

Q. Did you think that would keep you in the game?

TIGER WOODS: It kept me in the ballgame, where if I birdied three or four more coming in I might have had a chance at it. I had a par 5 where I thought if I hit two great shots I might have had a chance at eagle, and if I birdied one or two more coming in I might have posted a number and had a chance.

Q. On 14, were you thinking about the other shot?

TIGER WOODS: No, I wasn't. I was just trying not to hit the ball in the water.

Q. What did you hit off of 14 tee?

TIGER WOODS: I hit a 4-iron.

Q. The par 5s played hard all week long. Was there a sticking point on the two on the back there with the long string of pars?

TIGER WOODS: Well, 11 was playing very difficult to try and make birdie on. 15, I had as a simple 3-iron. I was trying to put the ball right on the edge of the green, if not in the bunker, just an easy pitch, and I didn't do that. I had a pitch where I left myself below the hole for an easy putt and I missed it.

Q. There was a lot of noise out there early. Did you get a sense from that of what you were going to have to do?

TIGER WOODS: I could tell by looking at the numbers on the computer before I teed off that a lot of guys were shooting 4 or 5-under, so there were plenty of birdies to be made out there. If those guys were making a lot of birdies we were going to have to do the same to win the tournament.

Q. Did you make enough putts?

TIGER WOODS: I didn't make enough, no. Realistically, I thought if I could post at 15 today I might have had a chance.

Q. As quickly as you got to 12, I mean, that was a real possibility. You had me thinking that.

TIGER WOODS: Well, I was only three away from my number. I put up three on the front and if I shot three on the back it might force it to a playoff or might win it outright, but it looks like Ernie is playing too well for that.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: He's got all the talent in the world, you know that. It's just a matter of time before he puts it together on this golf course. You know, this golf course is such that you've got to play really well from tee to green. Look at this year, he's played pretty well. It's just a matter of time before he was going to win.

Q. What's your assessment of the week for you personally?

TIGER WOODS: I'm very excited. I hit the ball very well this week. I putted all right, didn't make everything, but I've really hit the ball well this week, so it was pretty exciting.

Q. What was the distance on the flop shot?

TIGER WOODS: No idea, just from here to there.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: Just trying to land the ball on the green. If I hit it high enough and land the ball on the green, it won't go in the water. If I hit it obviously long with some steam on it, too low, then it's out of here.

Q. You're hitting it well despite the second at 15 and your tee shot at 16 that got away.

TIGER WOODS: I just pulled them. 15, I lost it to the right a little bit, but I was trying to hit the ball up the right, I just overcut it. That's no big deal.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: I'm playing well. That's it, I'm playing better. This week was certainly another step in the right direction.

Q. You've won three times here and played well. What is it about this course you like so much?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it fits my eye. Certain golf courses really fit your eye. I play well at Pebble, here, Bay Hill. Certain golf courses you just feel very comfortable at, and this is certainly one of them.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: Sometime this week I'll go, somewhere in there.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: There's some trouble out there, but as I say, you look at the scores starting out, most of the guys that played early this morning were shooting 67s and 69s, so there isn't -- if you're playing well here, you can really shoot some good numbers.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: Well, Ernie played well yesterday, but today is what counts. I mean, if he goes out there and stumbles at all, he made a bogey early, and if he continues playing like that, then it's a totally different story. He got it back like a true champion and he played well all the way in.

Q. (Inaudible)

TIGER WOODS: I mean, to be honest with you, it's all luck, you know that. I hit a good shot, and then from there it hit soft. I mean, if it hits hard, it's out of here, it's over where Stephen chipped his ball, and it's one of those things where it just went in the hole. I wasn't trying to hole it, trust me, I was just trying to keep the ball out of the water. I'll be honest with you, I was just trying to keep it out of the water where I had a next shot to try and make that one.

Q. You were smiling after your approach to 15, too, but that was completely different?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I hit one straight left and then I hit this one out to the right.

The one yesterday was just a terrible golf shot. This one I just overcut. That's a little bit more acceptable.

Q. Did you hit driver off 11 today?

TIGER WOODS: I did, yes.

Q. Different than you've done all week?

TIGER WOODS: Correct. It was downwind for the first time today for me. And on top of that, the pin was only 3-over the bunker. That's really tough to get it close to. I figure if I hit a good drive there I could keep it up the right side, the second shot, just make a cheap birdie there, but I didn't do it.

Q. How many times did you hit driver over the last four days?

TIGER WOODS: Maybe two to three times a day.

Q. What do you think about Shinnecock?

TIGER WOODS: I don't know. I haven't played it since 95. What was I, 19 at the time, so it's been a while.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: I don't know. I really don't know. I know they've added some new tees and made it longer, but I don't know what it's going to -- I can't remember some of the holes.

Q. Was hitting driver at 1 indicative of you wanting to go out and make a splash?

TIGER WOODS: No. Again, that was the first time it went downwind on 1. And if I hit a 2-iron off that tee, I can actually run the ball in the bunker now for the first time all week. 2-iron has been keeping me short of the bunker, so it's either hit a 3-iron off that tee, which I don't want to do because it's 450 yards or go ahead and hit driver and take it over the bunkers and take it out there where I've got a wedge in my hand.

Q. Were you disappointed with your result on that hole?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I hit a good second shot and it just took a huge skip. My first putt, which was terrible, I just gunned it past the hole, but then I made a good comeback.

Q. You hit a lot of good 2-irons this week. With dry conditions at Shinnecock you can hit a lot there?

TIGER WOODS: Generally that's what you do in U.S. Opens. You usually hit 2-irons and 3-woods. You very rarely hit a bunch of drivers.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIGER WOODS: Well, you never know when it comes to Shinnecock.

Q. You hit it good this week.

TIGER WOODS: I did hit it good, not only my 2-iron, but I hit the ball really well overall.

End of FastScripts.

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