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DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

September 2, 2006

Tiger Woods

NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Q. With the storm moving in do you feel lucky to get it in?

TIGER WOODS: I'm very lucky today. It didn't look so good in the morning. I saw The Weather Channel this morning and it looked terrible coming out, but we dodged it, for us in the morning session. The afternoon guys might get nailed.

Q. How was the course playing?

TIGER WOODS: It was tough. I didn't hit it very good, and the wind conditions didn't make it any easier. It was tough with the wind. It was swirling all over the place.

It's one thing if you know which way it's coming from all the time, but it starts dancing all over the place. If you look at the three of us, we were backing off shot after shot because it kept changing.

Q. Do you feel okay to have shot 72?

TIGER WOODS: I'll tell you what, if I would have made the putt on the last hole, it would have gone down as the greatest 71 of all time for me. I was grinding on that putt. I wish I could have made it but I blocked it. To shoot what I shot today, considering the way I hit it, I hit more snap hooks than I ever have hit in just about any round I've ever played. It was just a terrible round of golf.

Q. When did you know it was going to be a terrible round of golf?

TIGER WOODS: On the range. I wasn't hitting it very good on the range. I got on the 1st tee and snapped my 5 wood over there and next hole snapped a 6 iron off the tee. It wasn't very good.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Not many, not many. I got some good putts. Does that count?

Q. Not to make excuses, but do you think all that running around and playing has maybe caught up with you having to play at 7:30 in the morning?

TIGER WOODS: I'm a little run down right now, a little tired. It finally took its toll on me, finally caught up with me, as you said. Hey, I'm in early today so I've got all day to rest, and hopefully I'll be near the lead so I can go out late tomorrow. I'll be fired up and ready to go tomorrow.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Those could have been anything (laughing). I don't know how I made par on those holes because they shouldn't have been par. I hit some just terrible golf shots and lucked out.

Q. Is that what you were talking about the other day, understanding how to get through days like this?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I would like to say yeah, but I missed it in the wrong spot on every hole. On those three holes I missed it on the short side every time. On that point, no, I was not good, but I hit some nice little pitches and the putter saved me.

Q. Could you talk about the second shot on 4, which seemed like the tree did restrict your backswing?

TIGER WOODS: Actually it freaked me out that I hit the tree on my backswing because I didn't think I was going to hit the tree on the backswing.

Q. Was it the top branch there?

TIGER WOODS: No, actually the trunk. It threw my rhythm off. I kind of flinched on it, and then when I hit it I felt like my elbow bent around the tree. That didn't feel very good. But at least I had a good lie on my third shot and almost holed that, then holed a putt for par.

Q. There aren't a lot of tournaments that you play that you haven't won. This is one of them. You don't only not want to lose it but would it be exciting because of your special connection where all the money goes to your foundation?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it's exciting for us to be involved in such a great event. We're excited that Deutsche Bank wanted us to be involved and be a beneficiary of it, so we're very lucky, and this has been over the years it has been a great event and it's only going to get better next year being a Playoff Series event.

Q. So it would be a sweet one for you to win?

TIGER WOODS: It would be huge, but I've got a lot of work to do between now and then.

Q. You played at the Ryder Cup site. Your impressions of the course?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it was wet when we played. The first day we played the rain was coming down sideways. The second day was dry and it was nice. I've played there probably 20 some odd times. Every year when I go there before the British Open that's where I stay. I've played it quite a bit. It hasn't changed in all the times I've played.

For some of the guys it was their first time. I wouldn't say it favors anybody, it's whoever gets hot with the putter and makes the putts. That's basically what determines cuts. Whether you win or lose is how you putt.

Q. A lot of extra pressure with the American team going over there?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, we are the underdogs, no doubt about that. Hopefully we can do what the Europeans have been doing with them being the underdogs.

Q. Is there a reason why you haven't had great success in Ryder Cup play? How do you look at that going into the tournament?

TIGER WOODS: Well, anything can happen in 18 hole matches. That's one thing you have to understand. Then when you get involved with a partner you can sneak one by them and play well and never win. Unfortunately I've played some of my best golf in Ryder Cups and I've lost. It's very frustrating because if it would have been a regular tournament I'd have been winning or at least close to winning, but in a match play event, 18 holes, it was a boat race.

Q. Do you enjoy playing in the Ryder Cup?

A. I do. We have a great time, the team camaraderie, the excitement of playing for your country and the momentum that can ebb and flow out there. Seeing the red numbers go up and also turning around and having the blue numbers go up and then seeing the red numbers go up again. I don't normally leaderboard watch, but there I do.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: You've got to hit precise shots and really control your trajectory, and if you don't, the wind is going to absolutely punish you.

Q. When you've got it going out there, are you trying to patch it together or hope it turns around? Are you trying to get through the day or hope it turns around?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I've got to work it out. I'm going to try to fix my swing so I'll make proper shots and then piece it together that way.

Q. You talk about understanding your swing better than ever these days. How much easier is it to try and get things turned around?

TIGER WOODS: Today was a different day. I just didn't have it. I'm just trying to get around with my short game and my putting, and I pretty much did that. My driving wasn't very good, my iron game wasn't very good, but when I did make the proper backswing and do the things that I needed to do, I actually hit some pretty good shots. But unfortunately they're too far in between.

Q. What were you trying to do on 2? Obviously put it back in the fairway, but were you surprised it went

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. Secondly, how close to the little red line was it?

TIGER WOODS: I was about four feet from the hazard line.

Q. Any fear walking toward it that you were on the other side of the hazard line?

TIGER WOODS: I thought for sure I was going to be either in the fairway or maybe in the first cut. It shocked me that I went that far.

Q. Were you feeling today that whatever you did wasn't going to be right?

TIGER WOODS: Pretty much.

Q. 1 through 18 or

TIGER WOODS: And the range (laughter).

Q. Today you shot 72. Do you think you can have days like this because you're a terrific player?

TIGER WOODS: You hang in there, keep grinding it, keep fighting it. Hey, you do what you can. I kept saying I'm only one back, so it's not like I was completely out of contention. If I can just keep hanging in there, hanging in there, somehow I can turn it around and maybe get myself back to even par for the day, and if I did it that, it would be one hell of an accomplishment.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: It would have been nice. It would have been nice to make that, but all in all, considering what I went through today, how I played, very happy to shoot what I shot. It could have been a heck of a lot worse.

End of FastScripts.

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