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DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

February 3, 2007

Tiger Woods

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Q. The two shots down 18?
TIGER WOODS: Just hit a big, sweeping hook, which you kind of have to do. From there I hit 3-iron and I really hit it solid and carried all the way up there.

Q. Any disappointment when you didn't make the eagle?
TIGER WOODS: I didn't make any putts today. It was frustrating. I turned a 63 into a 67. Hopefully we can turn that the other way around tomorrow.

Q. Are you surprised you closed the gap on the leaders?
TIGER WOODS: I am surprised. I figured the guys would go probably three, four, five deep today. But still, they have some pretty easy holes, 17 and 18.
So I'm sure I'll probably be two or three back by tomorrow.

Q. Thomas Björn was talking about your desire and saying that's part of the key of your success; would you agree?
TIGER WOODS: You've got to have it. I don't know any other way.

Q. But he says yours is exceptional, better than anyone perhaps we've anyone we've ever.
TIGER WOODS: I don't know, that's just who I am. I go out and compete and give it everything I've got. And at end of the day we add it up.

Q. Tomorrow we'll be anticipating a Tiger charge; what's the game plan?
TIGER WOODS: Hopefully hit the ball a little bit better than I did today and make some putts. I need to get the putter rolling early. I've just struggled all week. The putts that I've hit well, I've mis-read and then I've hit just atrocious putts and didn't even come close. Hopefully tomorrow, get it rolling and make some putts.

Q. Will you be going to the putting green to do some work?
TIGER WOODS: As soon as I'm done with you.

Q. The putting seems to be the cause of frustration?
TIGER WOODS: Oh, it is, yeah. As I said I turned a 63 into a 67 today pretty easily. That's very frustrating because the putts that I hit well, I mis-read, and then I hit some just atrocious that weren't even close to going in. I've got to clean it up for tomorrow.

Q. You're striking the ball beautifully, 17 and 18.
TIGER WOODS: I hit good shots most of the day. I feel like I controlled the ball in this wind. Hit a couple loose ones here and there, but overall pretty pleased with the way I feel over the golf ball.
If I can just get the putter rolling early and get some momentum going into the back nine instead of trying to make everything up on the back nine, that's probably the ideal thing to have happen tomorrow.

Q. All setting up quite nicely, you're only one back at the moment, how do you look going into tomorrow?
TIGER WOODS: More than likely I'll be two or three back, 17 and 18 are playing pretty easily today. I figure the guys will birdie those two holes. Overall, I've actually closed the gap with my round today which was kind of surprising because I figured the leaders would go 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-under par today but just didn't happen for them.

Q. Ernie Els, the rivalry, we all talk about the rivalry between and you Ernie, setting up nicely for tomorrow for another close one.
TIGER WOODS: Not just Ernie, there's a bunch of us who have a chance of winning the title tomorrow. It's just a matter who can obviously shoot the lowest number tomorrow, because the birdies can be had out there. And I saw the dots for tomorrow and they are pretty accessible pins. You're going to have to make some birdies out there in order to win this thing.

Q. Just got to get that reading of the greens right.
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I've got to -- as long as I'm reading them right, I've got to them correctly. I've got to do the combo platter there. I've got to do both of them.

Q. Do you like the challenge of chasing?
TIGER WOODS: The thing; when you're chasing you're coming from behind, you can't afford to make mistakes. That's the great thing about being up front and leading is you can slip up and win the tournament. Coming from behind, given the golf course that we're playing here, you have to make a bunch of birdies. You can't afford dropped shots, and you have to make a bunch of birdies and hopefully be good enough.

Q. The front nine is more difficult than the back; it's going to be key to make some early birdies?
TIGER WOODS: Without a doubt, you have to take care of 2 and 3. 1 is tough, but 2 and 3, you have to make at least one there.

Q. 6 and 8.
TIGER WOODS: Two tough holes there.
Once you turn the back nine, you have three par 5s and 17 downwind like this is reachable. You have some easy holes. If you can shoot 2-, 3-, 4-under par on the front nine, you're licking your chops going into the back nine.

Q. What will it take tomorrow for to you win?
TIGER WOODS: Whatever it is it's going to have to be low. With that many guys with the golf course playing the way it is and the greens being as good as they are, you figure somebody is going to take a run at it and make some birdies.

Q. The ball is rolling so well on the greens, what makes them so tricky to read?
TIGER WOODS: There's a little bit of grain in them. For some reason I'm just struggling this year with it. My speed was good until today. Then it was bad today. I've just got to get that organised going into tomorrow and read the putts correctly but roll them correctly. If you're rolling them consistently with good speed on every putt, you can always make some putts.

Q. 16 was a strange one.
TIGER WOODS: That's kind of how it is. There's some tricky putts out there because the slopes really are not that big. They are very subtle and a lot of putts, you say, well it can go left or it could go right. It's very interesting how, you know, we as a group mis-read a bunch of putts today.

End of FastScripts

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