BUICK OPEN

August 9, 2002

Tiger Woods

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you for joining us, second round 63, puts you at 14-under for the tournament. 63 is your best round since last year's round 4 at the Byron Nelson. Talk about how things went out there for you.

TIGER WOODS: I hit the ball really well today. It was an awful lot of fun being out there and hitting the ball this way. Made some putts early in the round, got momentum, got rolling and made a great save. But overall, didn't really put myself in a whole lot of trouble.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You talk a lot about not making bogeys and sometimes saving par is better than a birdie. You have gone 51 straight holes without a bogey now. Is that something you are particularly proud of as far as you are crime overall.

TIGER WOODS: Making bogey just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, especially with going today starting off 5-under through 8, bogeying the 9th hole would not have been good - the front nine, a bogey like that, but I hit a poor tee shot, poor second shot and poor third shot. Up there, I got all my bad shots out of the way, and go ahead and hit a good putt. Hit a good putt went right in the hole and kept the momentum going and didn't make a bogey.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Questions.

Q. You took the step on 15 did you think --

TIGER WOODS: I did. I hit a good putt there. It looked like it was going to go left center, but must have double-crossed the hole at the end, but I took the step. We usually take a step kind of blinking, when I looked up, it was already starting to horseshoe.

Q. Talk about the eagle.

TIGER WOODS: I hit -- flared my driver over there on the right, got a good break, good lie, more importantly, I had a shot, it didn't get behind that fur tree over there. And I just --I had 249 to the front. I just tried to hit a nice soft cut 2-iron, making sure if anything, to overcut it - only place you can put it in those left trees, and it came out good. Only thing is I thought it came out too hot, but the ball fell out of the sky, and when I did that, I knew the shot was going to be okay.

Q. You have won 15 out of 19 tournaments leading after two rounds in your career. On this golf course, the way numbers can go so low, does that make it tougher to hang on, or easier, or what?

TIGER WOODS: You've just got to -- you got to make birdies. Anyone who has the lead here they all know that you just have to continue to make birdies. You can't go out there and sit around and shoot, you know, a couple of 70s out there and know that the tournament is over. You got to go out there and post two good numbers.

Q. You talked a little bit the other day about being the first player to win three majors in one year. Another one you can add being first guy in 31 years to win a tournament the week before a major, also winning the major, obviously that would be something cool to add to your resume as well?

TIGER WOODS: I never read that one, but yeah, it would be nice. Yeah, it would.

Q. 14, (inaudible) yesterday you laid up off the tee -- what is the main strategy there?

TIGER WOODS: On 14?

Q. Why go for it today?

TIGER WOODS: I went for it both days.

Yesterday I hit driver. I was pin-high left just left of the bunker, pulled it. But I hit driver both days. Just wanted to hit it a little bit better than yesterday.

Q. How far was the approach on after you punched out at 9, the approach and how far was the putt?

TIGER WOODS: I had 58 to the hole and I had about a 15-footer.

Q. This is one of the few tournaments you haven't won that you played in at least three times. How important would that be to add this to your resume?

TIGER WOODS: It would be neat. There has been a lot of great players that have won here and I would like to have my name on that list.

Q. When your round is going well like it was, do you ever set a target like maybe 60 today, or are you just taking it hole-by-hole?

TIGER WOODS: Hole-by-hole, shot-by-shot. I just wanted to continue to put myself in position to make birdies. I felt like I was putting well, but get the ball in play. From there, if I have a good situation, go ahead and attack the flags, the greens are still pretty soft, a lot of times I fire it at the flags. Today the ball was holding and I made a few putts. But I wasn't concerned about a number.

Q. (Inaudible)

TIGER WOODS: This golf course when the wind is not blowing, the greens are this smooth, especially the fairways drying out, you even hit the ball further down there and then from there you are going to have shorter irons which you are -- makes it even more advantageous. So you just knew that somebody was going to go low. I was just lucky enough to that be guy to go low.

Q. Is it a myth that the week before a major if you were playing a tournament you practice on something or are you practicing something in particular this week and you happen to shoot a 63?

TIGER WOODS: No, I am not practicing for next week. I do all that on the range. If I am going to go out there and shape shots for next week, I do that on the range. When I am out there playing, I am playing, I am trying to win this tournament.

Q. I was talking to Mark about playing in your group for the last two rounds and he told me that doesn't happen very often. They tell him it happened by the computer draw and he believes that. I just wondered what your reaction is playing with your best friend off the golf course, on the golf course, does it seem strange or anything like that?

TIGER WOODS: No, we go out there and we compete, and I am trying to get myself up there in contention to win a tournament and so is he. But it's always nice having your buddy out there because it's -- just makes the round just so much more enjoyable. We hang out a lot, and I don't know, it's really neat for me to be able to go out there and play with him, with my best friend. We don't get a chance to do it very often. Every year we play at Pebble together, but that's about it.

Q. We are always ask him if you are you ready for the PGA Championship. We are going to ask you: Is Mark ready for the PGA Championship?

TIGER WOODS: He's making some good progress. Some of the things he's working on are starting to come together. I have played with him at the British Open and obviously on Saturday it was just a tough day, but on Sunday there he made a run at it. I think he got as high as fourth place there for a while on Sunday afternoon. He's starting to show signs. He's starting to hit the shots the way he used to and when he won those two majors in 1998.

Q. Talk about when you feel that groove, 31 on front, what is that like when it kicks in? Is there something that goes off in you because I saw on the back nine you were smiling; you seemed to really enjoy yourself?

TIGER WOODS: You want to have fun when you are playing well. There really isn't a particular feeling. You just feel comfortable with your game, and I fired at some flags and made some putts. Any time you can make some putts get the momentum going, especially early in the round, you can start building and I was able to do that.

Q. Athletes talk about the zone. Was that kind of where you were, is that what athletes are talking about?

TIGER WOODS: It is a different type of zone. I have been in a situation before when you couldn't really remember what actually transpired. You were there, but you were so focused out that -- but usually that happens towards the end of a tournament, especially in a major championship when you need that type of awareness, that type of concentration in order to win.

Q. Two weeks ago you were 9 over for a round. Today you are 9-under. Do you use that round of any inspiration at all?

TIGER WOODS: No.

Q. Do you use that or you wash it completely out of your mind?

TIGER WOODS: Just one of those days. Actually I was 10-over. You just go ahead and you just put it away because I played well the first two days. We had bad conditions, the conditions were just brutal. Then I played well on Sunday. So I played -- had one bad day in there with the weather being pretty difficult, and I was 10-under the other three days. And I played well at the Battle of Big Horn, and I just continued making progress which I was -- I have been doing which is nice.

Q. (Inaudible) you forget about it tomorrow or do you try build on it?

TIGER WOODS: I am going to go out there on the range and just kind of get -- make sure I get my rhythm back and make sure everything is set for tomorrow. Maybe shape a few shots, but that's about it.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you very much.

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