home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 30, 2006

Tiger Woods

WATFORD, ENGLAND

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: World No. 1, Tiger Woods, thanks for joining us. Thanks to an eagle on the last hole for the third consecutive day, you have a six shot lead going into the final round. Opening comments, made a good day into a real good day on that last hole.

TIGER WOODS: Well, I hit the ball great today. I hit it by far better than I did the first two days and made absolutely nothing. It was a struggle on the greens all day. Didn't have the feel, didn't have the pace, and consequently, I missed a bunch of short ones early in the round.

I finally made one at nine, then I hit one stiff on 10 and missed that. A bit frustrating on the greens, but I kept telling myself, just keep hanging in there, I had two par 5s to play, and if I could play the par 5s at 2 under par, I'd be just fine. I actually did one better.

Q. Were the greens slower today or were they just

TIGER WOODS: The greens were perfect out there.

Q. It was just you?

TIGER WOODS: I just did not putt well at all, no. As I said, my feel for the greens today was just not very good, and I wasn't hitting my lines and also didn't have the speed, as well. That's not a good combo.

Q. After 6, you actually looked as though Stevie had chucked the putter in the pond last week instead of the 9 iron.

TIGER WOODS: I wanted to do a lot of things to that putter today after about six holes. I've just got to hang in there. I was hitting the ball so well, just somehow hit the ball keep giving myself chances, I can't miss them all. I almost did, but I can't miss them all.

To make a big bomb like that on the last hole was just I hit it way too hard, so it was kind of nice that it went in.

Q. I was going to say that that 18th hole, you can't miss a putt on that green.

TIGER WOODS: It's been good to me, hasn't it? I mean, I pulled my tee shot left there and hit it far enough left where I was actually in the gallery. I actually had a great lie, down grain, and just hit a 5 wood, trying to put the ball anywhere right of the hole to give myself some kind of angle, and it came off perfect. I couldn't have dreamt for it to come out that far.

I had a left to right putt and I was just thinking, "make sure you get the pace right." Well, I didn't do that, but it still went in.

Q. How far by did it go?

TIGER WOODS: It was going about six feet by.

Q. Have you ever eagled a hole three times in a row?

TIGER WOODS: No.

Q. You didn't eagle it in practise, did you?

TIGER WOODS: No, no. Not even close, actually.

Q. Given the way your putting went today, when you look at the leaderboard at the end, you actually extended your lead by one. How does that make you feel?

TIGER WOODS: As I kept telling Stevie going up the last two holes, if we play the last two holes in 1 under par, I mean, it's an even par day. Nobody gained any ground.

I made a bomb there at 18, so I actually needed to putt not very good today and still increased my lead, so it's a pretty good feeling.

Q. How do you rate your chances of beating the 25 under par you scored in 2002?

TIGER WOODS: I don't know (smiling). I just want to just go out there and hit the ball like I did today and obviously putt a little bit better, and then we'll see what happens.

Q. The odds of you winning tomorrow are 1:125 apparently. Do you like those odds?

TIGER WOODS: Yes. (Laughter).

Q. What is it about 18, do you think?

TIGER WOODS: I don't know. It's a long par 3 (laughter).

Q. You sort of opened the door a little bit on the guys behind you, but now you've just sort of shut the door on those guys with that eagle on the last inaudible?

TIGER WOODS: Well, for me it's just such a big momentum to get to the last hole to play I played great today, but to putt as well as I did today and still increase my lead, that's huge for me. So I'll go out there and continue what I'm doing.

Q. Are you playing better than you did at Hoylake, better than you did at Medinah?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. What do you think of the golf course?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it's been good to me so far.

Q. Were you aware that the lead got down to two at one stage

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. And if so, what were you thinking?

TIGER WOODS: I'll just keep being patient. I'll keep plugging along. I gave myself so many chances, that as I said to Stevie, "I can't miss them all." I'll just keep hitting them up there close and they're bound to fall.

As I said, I had two par 5s to play, just stay patient and get to the par 5s and take care of those holes, and everything should be all right.

Q. How much better, can you quantify it?

TIGER WOODS: No, but I'm definitely hitting it better.

Q. You're looking to win six straight events in a row, Adam Scott is looking to win two in a row. I know you respect the guys behind you, but do you feel Adam has got the sort of game that could be a bit of a challenge tomorrow?

TIGER WOODS: Well, Adam has obviously been playing well. It's a case where confidence does a lot for you, and we're both feeling that way. It should be good tomorrow, and hopefully we can get it in before the weather hits.

Q. When everyone was saying probably this started in about '03 that 2000 couldn't be duplicated, what were your thoughts?

TIGER WOODS: I felt like I could do better. That's why I made the changes.

Q. You've never made any sort of radical putting change; you've changed your big swing, but is there anything, I mean, there are less moving parts in the putting stroke. Have you ever considered any sort of change? Is there any need for a change?

TIGER WOODS: No, I've considered altering the putter a few times around a tree (laughter), but other than that, no. I feel very I don't have the yips, so I don't need to be changing grips and putters and all that. This putter has won 11 major championships, so it's been good.

Q. When you come out and say you've got no feel for it that day, I know what it feels like when I've got no feel for it that day, but at your skill level, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being 'you've got it,' how did you feel today?

TIGER WOODS: Well, probably about a 5, maybe a 6. It's just that you're just not able to hit if you can't control your pace, you can't determine your line. I was just struggling getting the right pace with my stroke. I'd hit one too hard, I'd over release it, I'd block it, and if you're doing that you're not rolling the ball consistently. If you're not rolling the ball consistently; speed determines line, and I was not able to determine the line because my speed was off.

Q. You just said you've won 11 majors with one putter. Do you have lots of putters winking at you from a hall cupboard that you've considered using?

TIGER WOODS: I have backups at home, but nothing feels as good as this one.

I've actually brought out my old one that I putted with in '97, and I putt with it occasionally at home, actually I putt with it and then it makes this one jealous, and then all of a sudden it starts going in.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Tiger Woods, thanks.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297