BUICK OPEN

August 8, 2002

Tiger Woods

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Tiger for joining us for a few minutes. Good day out there today. It was a little cool when you started and warmed up and then all birdies, no bogeys. Why don't you talk about your round.

TIGER WOODS: I played pretty well today. I played real solid. I hit a lot of good shots. I made a few putts here and there, but I was really pleased with the way I was able to really stay out of trouble for most of the day.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Questions?

Q. How much preparing do you do for the PGA during this tournament?

TIGER WOODS: Well, if I'm out there playing, I'm competing and trying to win this tournament, but right now, practice session-wise, I'll probably go out there and try and shape a few shots that I'll probably need for next week.

Like I said, I saw it the other day, and get a nice visual on the range and try and picture some of the shots I'm going to have to hit and go ahead and try and execute them.

Q. Not often on this golf course the front nine is lower than the back nine. How do you explain that?

TIGER WOODS: I have no idea. I mean, one bomb there on 8, but other than that, I didn't really do anything special.

I hit some decent shots and basically made a few putts, that's it. Starting out, I didn't really hit it that close. I hit some good shots, but they were in the 15-foot range and on my back nine, which is the front nine, I started getting inside 15 feet.

Q. Do you view this as a par 68?

TIGER WOODS: No, because I hit driver, driver and I can't get there on some of the par 5s today with the wind blowing in our face. 16 and 7, I couldn't get there.

If the wind is out -- would it be out of the south -- it would be a lot easier because the other two par 5s are reachable, just with no wind or even into the wind, you can get there.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I have no idea, really. Somebody told me I was 70th all around or something like that. It's hard to explain, I just went out there and I played well today, simple as that.

Q. Did you actually hit driver, driver on the par 5s today?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I hit driver, driver on 16. I hit 3-wood off the tee on 1; hit driver on the second shot.

Q. How far was the putt on 8?

TIGER WOODS: That was about a 30-footer.

It was nice to actually hit one and see one go in. I was hitting good putts but they were just missing for some reason. That one, I hit just like I did the other ones. This time, it found the bottom.

Q. Inaudible?

TIGER WOODS: The greens are always smooth here. They are at a good, makeable speed. They are not lightening quick where you are starting to run the ball by. They are at give makeable speed where you can be aggressive. Even downhill putts you feel like you can get a nice hit but they are perfectly smooth. The only thing that's -- could throw it off-line is just the ball mark, but the greens don't really spike up. So even late in the afternoons, you can still make putts.

Q. What did you hit off 7?

TIGER WOODS: I hit driver, 3-wood and I was about 15 yards short of the green. You know, it is frustrating when that happens.

Q. The winning score in this tournament has been 20-under or better six times. How low do you think?

TIGER WOODS: Well, IF it stays like this, probably that low. If it stays like this and the wind doesn't really blow that hard. These greens are soft enough where you can take dead aim at it with even a 5-iron, you know the ball is not going to bounce over the greens.

Q. Was it good seeing Sutton play so well?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, especially with what he's been through, he's battling sleep apnea. My father has battled that, and I know how debilitating it can be because you don't have any energy. You come and go, and it's just really hard. Your diet, you feel like you're eating properly and you're gaining weights. It's a tough thing to go through.

And he's a battler, you know that, everyone knows that. He'll fight and it's good to see him out there playing well again.

Q. Your father, has he had it recently?

TIGER WOODS: All his life.

Q. Inaudible?

TIGER WOODS: It's always receptive to birdies here if the wind doesn't blow.

Q. Inaudible?

TIGER WOODS: I hit a pretty solid 4-iron there. I hit it right in the middle of the green, 2-putted.

Q. Keeping balance with playing golf and all of the outside stuff and the fan interest, how do you sort of get away from it when you need to?

TIGER WOODS: Be a little more specific, you mean get away, as in tournaments? Non-tournament weeks?

Q. Yeah, and how do you just try to get away from being the guy going to the grocery store without 50 people coming up to you?

TIGER WOODS: Well, back home it's not too bad because everyone knows me in the grocery store. So they say hello, blah, blah, blah, how you doing; I ask them how their kids are doing, stuff like that. Because you're at home, everyone knows you.

Hang out with my buddies; I don't get a chance to do that very often anymore, especially with their busy schedule. They are moving -- a couple of my buddies have moved, and every once in awhile they will come down and visit and I'll go up there and visit somewhere.

But usually just getting away and not doing a whole lot of golf stuff. I'll practice getting ready for a tournament but generally if I'm away from it, just get away from it and relax.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it happened in '97, I had never played the Tour before I had never played a 10 -, 12-month schedule before. Junior golf and amateur golf, it's always the summer and that's it and you're done. College it's only about four or five tournaments here and there and you're done. This is week after week after week and I was not used to playing that much golf.

Now on top of that, I've never had sponsorship obligations, either, and that was a new challenge for me to understand how to balance my time. I wore myself down by the middle of the summer there and just learned it, learned my lesson, and got better and better every year.

Q. What did you do to find the balance?

TIGER WOODS: You had to overextend yourself, really, to know, where is your limit, how far can you push yourself before it starts to become a distraction to your game. I reached that limit and then I was able to back off from there.

Q. You have such a strong following everywhere --

TIGER WOODS: I hear a lot of "Go Canada" out there, so they were not exactly cheering for me all the time. It was nice to come out here and follow and watch me play, but I think more than anything, they are out there, wanting to see him play well.

Q. Did you feel the support of the Canadian fans?

TIGER WOODS: Oh, yeah. You can hear the accent. (Laughs).

Q. Were you unhappy with your club selection on 9?

TIGER WOODS: No. I was frustrated that I mis-timed the wind. It was downwind when I was over the shot, and the shot turned back in my face, and then when mark hit it, it was straight downwind and I figured it would be downwind for my shot but it switched and made me look like a fool.

Q. What advice did Michael Jordan, if he did give it to you, honest how to deal with being the No. 1 athlete in the world?

TIGER WOODS: I've talked to Michael, I've talked to other people as well, but each and every one of them say the same thing in a different way. And that is, to find the balance that is best for you, where you are able to dedicate enough time to your job, as well as your obligations, but also enjoy life and do other hobbies. I think that's -- I think that's the biggest key is to have other hobbies, other interests.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: What did you hit on 2 and 8?

TIGER WOODS: 2, I hit a 3-wood off the tee, 9-iron to about four feet.

8, I hit a 5-iron to about 30 feet and made it.

Q. Once you get to a tournament, how much time do you spend on the practice range and some of the basic things that you work on there?

TIGER WOODS: I don't really spend a whole lot of time there on the range, or even on the putting green or anything like that. When I get to a tournament site, I feel like my game should be ready. That's one of the reasons why I don't play as many weeks as a lot of these guys do, because I spend a lot of time practicing at home. I do most of my preparation at home. Once I'm at a tournament site, I'm there just to find my rhythm, tune up a little bit and get myself ready to go play the next day.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Tiger for joining us.

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