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U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 1996

Tiger Woods

CORNELIUS, OREGON

Q. So, the medal wasn't a gold, but you'll take it?

TIGER WOODS: Am I?

Q. Looks like it.

TIGER WOODS: That wasn't the plan. The plan was just to go out there and shoot something right around par and get in. That's all I was trying to do and not make a lot of mistakes out there. But I guess the putter got hot a little bit coming in.

Q. Can we go through the card?

TIGER WOODS: Three putt on 2.

Q. Was it more than 6 feet?

TIGER WOODS: My first putt? First putt was about 15 feet. Hit it to about 6 feet on 3, made that, 2-putted No. 4, parred all the rest. Birdied 12, made about an 18-footer there. Birdied 13, about 12 feet.

Q. What did you hit into 12?

TIGER WOODS: 9 birdied 16 from about 15 feet, and then birdied 18 from about the same.

Q. Made a good up-and-down at 14?

TIGER WOODS: Correct.

Q. What did you hit your second shot with at 14?

TIGER WOODS: 7-iron.

Q. Tiger, tell us about the flop shot on 5, just off the green downhill?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, that's the only shot I had. I practiced that shot at the practice round. If I drop it on the green, it's going to go 15 feet past. It's just a shot we practiced in the practice round. We saw the dot. We were practicing at that pin. I couldn't stop it. The only chance I had to was to fly it down in the flat and hopefully it will spin. I cut too much on the ball. That's why it went too far past.

Q. Well, still made it.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. How about the jungle 5 par?

TIGER WOODS: Hit a 7-iron over it, that's all. It was a good shot, hit it right where I wanted it, just a little left of the hole. It was just too far.

Q. Do you remember your finish in medal play the last two years?

TIGER WOODS: Top 64.

Q. You didn't win the medal in any of the juniors?

TIGER WOODS: I won two out of three years. The first and second years that I won. And I think the third year I came in third or fourth.

Q. Does it mean anything to you to get the medal?

TIGER WOODS: Not really. It just means I've got to get up early tomorrow morning. Don't the medalists go off first? At Junior Medalists we always had to go off first. So rise and shine early.

CRAIG SMITH: 9:30.

TIGER WOODS: Thanks for that.

Q. But obviously it indicates that you're playing well, and that's good?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I've been playing well, yeah.

Q. Had you been struggling with your putter a little bit until you hit that hot streak on the back 9? I mean all week?

TIGER WOODS: I just couldn't quite get the speed down. Coming off the greens I've got back home, which are aerated and dressed, coming to these things is a little different. So I had a tougher time. It took me a long time to get used to them. Once I became more comfortable with them I could feel like I'm stroking the ball, and I can get the speed. Pace is everything in greens this fast.

Q. Do you get frustrated on the front? Could have been three or four under real easy?

TIGER WOODS: Even par is my goal, so I didn't really care.

Q. 18 you hit into the fairway bunker?

TIGER WOODS: Yes.

Q. And you had a good lie?

TIGER WOODS: I had a perfect lie. It's one of those bunkers that no one was in it yet and the rain kind of flattened it out a little bit, hardened it up.

Q. Do you feel like your game is getting better and better every day this week, you've seen improvement from day-to-day?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, that's the whole key. You want to peak going into match play. And right now I'm playing better every day, you're right. I'm feeling more comfortable with my golf swing and putter finally worked today, especially when I needed it on those par putts, like I made on 5 and 14. Those are the type of par putts you need to keep a round going.

Q. You seem to be working hard before you went out today with your shoulders or doing something with your swing, seemed pretty intense?

TIGER WOODS: It's always that way. I'm always intense when I'm warming up.

Q. What about your dad getting on you for missing the fairway?

TIGER WOODS: I knew he was going to do it. I knew he was going to do it. I was telling Jay walking off the fairway I missed a putt, I knew he was going to say something and lo and behold. Something he always says, I don't care how far you hit it if you miss the fairway, but it's the fairway that counts.

Q. Is that the only one you missed during the round?

TIGER WOODS: I missed two others.

CRAIG SMITH: You did perfect yesterday.

TIGER WOODS: Yes.

Q. Your mentality change at all tomorrow now?

TIGER WOODS: Oh, yeah. You have to change, now it's match play. And I'll start thinking about it tonight.

CRAIG SMITH: Five par 5's make it quite inviting or lay out a pretty good game plan for yourself, because there are places to do some things.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, but then again there's a lot of trouble, too, on those par 5's. The 620-yard par 5, it's inviting to try to bust it, but the set is so severe that it's not even worth it to go for it, or some of the other holes you've got to be careful.

Q. What do you think of Witch Hollow as a match play course?

TIGER WOODS: It's the perfect match play course because it doesn't get in the way of the player's playing. Some golf courses tend to get in the way, where options are taken away. Here your options are wide open, you can play aggressive or very conservative or anywhere in between.

Q. Do you care who you play in match play, does it make any difference to you, at all?

TIGER WOODS: Doesn't really matter, because in order to win this thing you've got to beat everybody to win, so it doesn't matter who you play. Once you get to the top 64, anyone who gets in is always going to be good. That's just a given. So you're always in for a tough match.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about that match at the Western Amateur, how you were playing, what happened during the match, what did you learn from it?

TIGER WOODS: I just didn't play that well, that's all. I didn't putt well, I didn't hit the ball well and I was just sent home. It was one of those weeks I didn't really have my game. And it showed. In match play it finally showed up. And the guy's going to outplay me, which he did.

End of FastScripts....

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