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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 13, 2007

Tiger Woods

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA

Q. Give us your impressions of today.
TIGER WOODS: The last two days I've had 12 lip-outs, eight feet and out. I'm just thinking if I just make a few putts, I'd be all right. I knew I could shoot a round in the 60s here if I'd just make a few putts, and I did today.

Q. After four rounds and having played this tournament and this course and this time of year and the change, what do you think of it?
TIGER WOODS: Well, the first day is probably irrelevant because it was playing so different than it is right now. But I think the changes they've made, it's been a wonderful change playing on Bermudagrass. It gives you an opportunity to be aggressive, but also there is going to be a price. The guys are catching more fliers than they ever have.
Also, then again, the greens are a little bit slower, too. Some of the difficult shots you used to have around the greens aren't as difficult, but still, you're trying to -- if you are in the rough, more than likely you're probably going to take a shot at getting the ball to the green, which can lead to a bogey pretty easily.

Q. A round like yesterday when you just walked right by us, are you just so upset you just don't want to talk or just mad at yourself or what?
TIGER WOODS: I was just tired of hitting good putts and having them all lip out because I didn't feel like I was playing that poorly. I hit some bad shots, yes. That's the way it goes. But I had eight putts lip out yesterday. I was just tired of it. It was just good putts weren't going in, and the putts that I thought I hit perfect, I'd take a step and it would lip out. I was just really frustrated with it.

Q. Talk about your eagle on 16 today. What did you hit in?
TIGER WOODS: I hit driver and a 6-iron to about ten feet just left of the hole and made it.

Q. Do you feel like you played much better today? The score obviously was much better.
TIGER WOODS: No, I didn't play that much better, I just made some putts. I had a run there from -- was it from 5 through -- well, 5 through 12, I one-putt every hole. Usually that works (laughter).

Q. Yesterday after 9 you were down at DFL.
TIGER WOODS: Well, I'm not there now.

Q. Off the subject, your buddy Tom Auclair has been at every PGA TOUR tournament for nine years. Next week he's not going. Do you have a take on that and his streak? Do you want to bust his chops for taking a week off?
TIGER WOODS: I'll get him when I see him. Trust me, I'll get him when I see him.

Q. Is that impressive?
TIGER WOODS: Well, that's an awful lot of work he's been doing to work that much, and an awful lot of time away from home.

Q. Did you pull the hardhat stunt with Henrik because of what he hit the day before?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, what he had done the day before, I felt that it would have been appropriate for me to give him a little grief, a little needle, and hence the hardhat.

Q. Where did you find it?
TIGER WOODS: One of the guys out here working.

Q. You've had a lot of success here, but the last couple years haven't been Tiger-like. Can you put your finger on what it is about this place?
TIGER WOODS: I just haven't played at the right times, you know? This year I felt like I hit the ball decent or at least good enough to contend, but I didn't make any putts. Consequently I'm well out of it. In years past I haven't really played all that well.

Q. You said yesterday the lip-outs, you basically missed three shots. Did you feel like you walked off with a 66 or 67, that you played well enough?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, that's what's so frustrating is I hit it well enough to shoot in the 60s with no problem, and wind up with 1-over par. I was just -- I'm sick of it. I've had so many good putts this week that I thought were in that have grazed the lip.
It's just because the greens are new, I'm not used to reading these greens yet. Today I changed my approach. I didn't quite -- I didn't walk all the way around it. I said I'm just going to go with my first instinct and just go ahead and hit it and be aggressive, hit the putt so it goes three or four feet by, because every one of my putts that I've missed has been diving across the front lip and the green has been eating it up. Today I went for a more aggressive approach and I started making putts.

Q. After Memorial will you go back to Oakmont before the Open?
TIGER WOODS: As far as playing, I don't know. As far as going back to Oakmont, yes, I will definitely take another look at it.

Q. You've got six weeks. Will you spend much time over the next six weeks working on the AT&T?
TIGER WOODS: Well, we've been doing quite a bit every day actually. It's a lot more involved. I had to have been a lot more involved in this event than I would have the Target World Challenge. This requires -- Target we have a whole year to prepare; here we only had four months. We've had to get everything organized very quickly. I'll probably make a couple site visits there and try and get things going a little faster.

Q. Have you tried to recruit players to come and play?
TIGER WOODS: Out here at THE PLAYERS? No, I've never done that. I've never done that because it's the players' choice, if they want to play at Target or if they want to play at Deutsche Bank or if they want to play at AT&T National. It's up to them. It's their choice.

Q. What this course has done from a hospitality standpoint and everything, is that what you're aiming for at Congressional this year?
TIGER WOODS: I'm aiming for a golf course that is challenging, something that the guys will actually love playing, and also, then again, the amenities, and hopefully they'll enjoy that. I've always enjoyed tournaments where it's the golfing experience. You know, everybody loves The Masters, guys love Wachovia. It's because it's all about golf.

Q. What will you concentrate on with your game between now and say the Open?
TIGER WOODS: I think I just need to keep fine-tuning it. This week I was a little bit loose at times, but then again, I hit a lot of good shots this week, as well. I hit I've overall probably hit the ball better this week than I did last week, but I didn't putt anywhere near as good. Last week I made all those putts, and as you said, I had 12 lip-outs this weekend. Last week I had like one or two. I was making every one, hence I was able to win the tournament, and this week I wasn't in it.

Q. How was your knee this week and what's the prognosis?
TIGER WOODS: It's sore. It's definitely sore. That's what happens I guess when you get in your 30s.

Q. What's the prognosis going forward?
TIGER WOODS: Keep training.

Q. You don't need surgery or anything?
TIGER WOODS: Oh, hell no.

Q. Is it a leftover like a lot of athletes?
TIGER WOODS: It's just wear and tear. All you do is keep training through it, keep running, keep doing your sprints, keep lifting, keep busting your butt and it'll get better and stronger, and if not, get it replaced and off you go again. Let's train again (laughter).

Q. Was it hurting this morning while you were playing or just walking?
TIGER WOODS: All of the above.

Q. What do you want to see at Oakmont? Do you want to get the speed this time?
TIGER WOODS: Well, when I played it, it was -- they had had snow the week before, and the rough wasn't quite up yet. The greens were bumpy and slow. So hopefully when I get there it'll be different.

End of FastScripts

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