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BUICK OPEN

August 2, 2006

Tiger Woods

GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN

TODD BUDNICK: This is a place where you never finished worse than 11th and you won this 2002, you've never posted a round above par. What is it about this course?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I just feel comfortable playing here. I think it's a fantastic venue. It's an older golf course. It's not a tricked up golf course. It's right in front of you. You have to go out there and play it. As I said, each and every year, the greens are always perfect here. With that in mind, you hit good shots around the hole, you know the putts are going in, they are not missing.

So it's always a treat to play on greens that are this good.

TODD BUDNICK: You've tied Walter Hagen with winning 11 majors, talk a little about that victory.

TIGER WOODS: Well, it was just an emotional win for me. I think any time you win a major championship, it brings up so many different emotions, because it's so hard to do. Then when you are actually able to come out on top, you feel the elation, the euphoria that goes on, all of the hard work, all of the nervousness, the things you've got to deal with in major championships, all of these things just wear you down and if you're able to come out on top, it's one of the greatest feelings you could possibly have.

Q. Looking ahead at the PGA, do you feel like whether you win it or Phil wins it, one of you can kind of have 2006 be the memorable Player of the Year so to speak?

TIGER WOODS: Well, right now as of right now, I think with, you know, having the two World Golf Championships, THE TOUR Championship and a major championship ahead of us, four big events, anything can happen. Hopefully I can get it done in those four events check, four bigger events like that, especially in a couple of weeks.

Q. How much motivation was what happened at the U.S. Open for you at the British to rebound from missing the cut there for the first time?

TIGER WOODS: I think the Western was pretty important. I did not start off well. I shot my first round over par and I got it going from there. I had a chance with a few holes to go to win the golf tournament. That to me was what I needed to have happen going to the British. I needed to have it turn around like that kick quickly and get back into playing mode again.

By the time I got into playing mode at the U.S. Open, I was already 2 , 3 , 4 over. You can't do that in the U.S. Open, you have to get into the rhythm of the round quickly. I didn't do that. At the British Open, because of the Western, I got into the rhythm of the round so much faster and I didn't put myself behind the 8 ball right out of the gate.

Q. You talked a little bit about the Ryder Cup, you have a very young team, what do you think about the chances of the USA team up against the Europeans?

TIGER WOODS: Well, as of right now, both sides are going to have some players that have never been on any team before. So as of right now but you know, the points can swing so fast. We've got basically three tournaments left and with the major being worth so many points, I mean, every time I look at it, it's like, okay, he's in, he's out. It keeps changing every week and it's changed a lot.

But as it stands right now, yeah, we have a lot of inexperience versus the top 5 guys on the team have all been on teams before and then the other guys haven't. The Europeans are finding the same thing. Right now I think there's four guys that have never played on a team before.

So it will be interesting to see for both sides to see what transpires and also see how the picks go and see what the two captains are going to do for their picks.

Q. You've been in the public spotlight, a fan favorite for quite a few years now, but one kind of senses that with the passing of your father and the emotional win a couple of weeks ago, that there's even more love for you more as a person than as an athlete, is that something that you sense?

TIGER WOODS: People have come up to me and said really nice things since the Open and that's awfully nice of them. They can say all these nice things, but I still miss my dad. It is what it is. It's awfully nice that people especially that have had loss before come up and share their experiences. That's rewarding in that sense to hear so much about other people's lives and how we're all basically in the same boat at one time or another. From that standpoint, it's been remarkable, really.

Q. Last year in a question I posed to you, I referred to you as a "wily veteran" now on Tour and you said, "don't put me out to pasture yet." But with time, and now with success, you're tied with Walter Hagen. There's only one more name on the list and that great history and tradition of golf leaves you one more target. I know it's a one tournament at a time type of situation, but what does it mean to you now as one more of those accomplishments on the major list adds to a total that gets you closer to the greatest maybe of all time, Jack Nicklaus?

TIGER WOODS: Well, starting out, if you're lucky enough to get anywhere near Jack's record, awfully lucky to pass him, if it happens, it's going to take a career. It took Jack over 20 years to get his. There's no way you can ever have it happen quickly. I've played ten years out here and I'm just barely passed halfway and realizing how many he won.

Certainly looking at Jack's record, I think the most important thing about Jack's record is he had 18 wins and he got 19 seconds. When you put in 27 Top 2s, it puts it in perspective he good he was in the biggest events. When you look at his whole record, you look at how good he was for the longest period of time. No other player in the history of the game has done that, be that good for that long.

Q. Back to the Ryder Cup, projecting ahead, some day you'll be a Ryder Cup Captain, how would you approach motivating your team? What would be the key facets to motivating a team in what motors advocates you when you arrive at the Ryder Cup?

TIGER WOODS: Winning. Flat out just go out there and win.

You know, I can only control my points. That's all I can control. I can't control what any other guys do in their matches. When my partner and I are out there, we're just focused on getting our point. I always look at it like a two point swing. You have the ability to lose a point, but you lose a point, it's a two point swing. I've been on the losing side too many times. It doesn't feel very good because you feel like you've let down not only your playing partner but you let down your entire team, your captain. It's a totally different feeling. When you heard so much when we were in college golf, don't play well, you let down your team.

This time, there's more guys and seeing the guys out there watching and supporting, more so in the Ryder Cup than any other, the Presidents Cup, because we play I think almost every guy has to play every day in the Presidents Cup. In the Ryder Cup basically that doesn't happen. Four guys sit out each session. You see the guys out there watching and following. It's a totally different feel when you see sometimes Freddie or Davis get their bad backs going, or Davis or Freddie is out following me. It's really weird because it's such a unique experience because you don't ever find that at any other time.

Q. This is a question about how you prepare for a round. Vijay will drag any number of inaudible we've seen you putt one handed from on the putting green. What does that do for you?

TIGER WOODS: Well, do I this thing, I guess it's called a gate drill. I basically started doing it when I was about eight or nine years old. My dad wanted me to hit the putts more solidly. I kept complaining, I kept hitting the ball on the heel. He said: "Why don't you put two tees down and put through the gate?" All right. All of a sudden I started hitting the putts solidly and flush and they started going in. That's what I've done all my entire career ever since. Putting one handed is just a feel thing. Some guys block putts, but I like to release the blade and let it go with my right hand. I roll the ball more consistently that way.

Q. You've had Chris DiMarco on your heels for a couple of majors last two years. You've shared team rooms with him at the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. What have you learned about him over the last couple of years as a player and as a person?

TIGER WOODS: Well, what a fantastic competitor. He's a guy that will continue to fight. He needs to just hang in there and gut it out and give it his best. That's one thing that you have to admire about any player is that ability not to quit. People quit, you see it all the time, but I think it's more remarkable that people never quit.

Q. You talk about liking this course and obviously you have a relationship with. Beyond those things, does the timing work out really well, this year in particular, to have a break after the emotional win and time after this before the PGA?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it works out perfect because I got a chance to unwind for a few days and then get back up and start getting ready for this event. I have all of next week to go home well, maybe go home, hurricane might be blasting through there again. But I get to go somewhere and practice and get ready. I always find it nice to get ready in solitude and have my game where I want it when I go into a major championship, rather than playing my way into shape.

Q. You carry the Buick logo on your bag and you have all of the Buick executives here today, a lot of employees here all week. Does that add another log to your fire to win this tournament?

TIGER WOODS: You know, it does because it's really neat over the years I've been part of the Buick family to see people I've met over the years come out and follow me and watch me play. It's such a more so than a lot of golf tournaments we play in. It's more of like a family area.

I think my first time was '98 or '99 and I've seen the same people on the same greens. That's pretty neat, because you don't see that at any other golf tournament, maybe Augusta. To come here and see faces that you recognize, it makes it that much more special to play.

Q. Can you talk about the course itself last year you did a lot of damage, I think 13 and 14 you were 9 under on those two holes alone. Can you talk about where you have to do your damage on the course this week?

TIGER WOODS: I think it's always about the par 5s here. When the wind is not blowing, then for me I can get to every par 5. You can possibly drive 12 and possibly drive 14. Those holes, those six holes right there, you've got to make some birdies on those holes, make trickle in an eagle here or there.

Q. It's been 12 days since Hoylake now. When you think back on the emotions that came pouring out on the 18th green, do you have a different perspective about what that was all about or why that happened, because as you said afterward, that's really not you, but it happened. Have you thought about that in the last week and a half?

TIGER WOODS: I try not to. Only because I never really lose my emotions like that. And for me to feel that type of loss, it doesn't feel very good. I haven't seen the coverage, so I haven't seen that part of it. I haven't even seen a golf shot yet. I've been asking for somebody to send me a DVD or some kind of tape and I haven't got it yet. So I haven't seen anything of the golf tournament.

All I know is I remember being in Stevie's arms and crying like a baby and him pushing me away into my wife saying you deal with him and just bawling there. I've never done that. I never have. It's because I've never, ever played a golf tournament without Dad. It's the first time where I've ever within a golf tournament without Dad either seeing me or being around physically where I could call him up and say, hey, we can talk and rap about it. But those days I'll never have that day again.

What hurt so much for me this year at Augusta not winning, because I knew that was Dad's last tournament he would ever see me play in. And it hurt quite a bit, I've never been as disappointed walking off a golf tournament. I just wanted to play well at the U.S. Open and I was able to win the British. I kept coming back, why couldn't I have done this a few majors ago and give him one more thing to see.

But I don't think I could have probably won at the British Open without Dad because I had a sense of calmness that I don't have I'm usually pretty calm at majors but I was unusually calm at this major. I think it was Pop up there just keeping me cool and level headed.

Q. There's so many great young players in the field this week and I think I counted a dozen major winners just playing in the Pro Am alone today, and yet everybody likes to come gunning for Tiger. Is that still something that you kind of feed off of and enjoy, the fact that you know, wherever I tee it up, everybody wants to get a shot at me?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it is and it isn't, one of the guys in the field. That's about it. The ones that are playing this week, you've got to beat everybody here, not just one of those guys. Hopefully I can put my name up there with a chance on Sunday and get the W somehow.

But there are a bunch of major championship winners, as you said. But, you know, whoever is in the field, you've got to beat them all in order to win the golf tournament.

Q. How did getting back and playing golf again help you kind of recover a sense of normalcy after your father's passing?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it was interesting because it was actually probably the hardest thing for me to do was get back and play again because that's how I learned the game. I learned it from Dad. Every time I take time off when I come back, I always focus on the basics, grip, posture, stance, alignment. I learned every one of those things from Dad. So that was the hard part is coming back and getting started. Once I got started it was all right. But getting over the hurdle of getting started and knowing that he'll never be there to talk about these little things in detail.

Q. Any theories on why there doesn't seem to be a ton of guys in their 20s, especially Americans, that are having a lot of success right now?

TIGER WOODS: You know what it is, I think it's become a global force. We have young players out here. But you know, right now, we have a Spaniard in Sergio; an Aussie in Adam; Trevor, a South African. It's a global sport now more so than any other time. So we have more players from all over the world that are young and talented and they are playing well. Not to say they don't have talent here in the States, we do. It's just a matter of putting it together at the right time.

TODD BUDNICK: Thanks, Tiger. Good luck this week.

End of FastScripts.

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