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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 21, 2007

Tiger Woods

CARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND

Q. Tiger, a mixture of brilliant and frustrating play today. How would you sum it?
TIGER WOODS: You did it right there. Basically that was it. It was good enough to get myself right now only six back. At least I've got a chance at it tomorrow.

Q. How much discipline did it take to actually keep your composure and keep the round going?
TIGER WOODS: I've done this before. It's a major championship; you just hang in there and grind it. It's a long way to go.
The forecast was wrong again today. It was supposed to be torrential rains, and that didn't happen. Tomorrow is supposed to be howling, and we'll see.

Q. Many players would think where you are would be too much to ask tomorrow. How do you view the situation in terms of being able to retain your title for tomorrow?
TIGER WOODS: I've got to be playing a little better than I have been, that's for sure. But at least I gave myself a chance going into tomorrow. Paul came back from ten back in '99. Certainly you can do it around this golf course.

Q. How hard is it for you when you feel like you're not at the top of your game, just trying to struggle?
TIGER WOODS: It's horrible. It's a major, and the conditions have been a little bit frustrating. If you're off, you're going to be penalized.
Today pins were a little more difficult than they were the first two days. You had to miss the ball in the correct spots. For the majority of the day that's what I did. I left myself on the wide side or short side of myself and just had a chance to get up-and-down and just putted really well.

Q. (Question regarding the 6th hole.)
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I felt great going into 6. I hit just a great tee shot down there. I had just birdied two in a row and it looked like I could get a birdie there and make it three in a row. Then I hit it a little wide there, struck my 2-iron straight in the ground and that helped shoot it to the right. I didn't get up-and-down but came back and I still made birdie.

Q. (Inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: Not as pleased as I'd like to be, for sure. But I've got myself in contention. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a little sharper, and maybe I can putt just as well.

Q. Chris shot 66. Stricker is eating it up out there. Was the course out there to be had today?
TIGER WOODS: It can be had early. There was a lot of birdies that can be made, probably, up to the first seven, eight holes. You can probably make four or five birdies through there if you're playing well.
The back nine is a different story. There's a lot of long clubs coming in. The only really good birdie chance you have is 14. You don't have a whole lot coming in from the 15th green.

Q. Chris talked about being reunited with his caddie and having better form the last few weeks. How important is that, the chemistry, at least from the mental aspect of dealing with what you have to deal with on a day like this?
TIGER WOODS: Having a person you can trust, it's everything. I give Stevie complete autonomy to call me off any chance if the wind changes or he doesn't see it quite right, go ahead and call me off the shot. That's one of the things you've got to have a caddie that can do that, who has the guts to say no to you and will stick by what he believes. Not always is he going to be right, but the great thing is that he'll always tell you what's on his mind when you ask. That's a sign of a great caddie.

Q. Does that happen often, where he can call you off?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, we've won major championships because he's called me off a shot. If I were to have hit it at that moment in time the wind would switch, we would have been in a bad spot.

Q. How disconcerting was that incident on the 6th when the ball struck the woman?
TIGER WOODS: It was terrible. I wasn't trying to hit it over there, that's for sure. I saw the ball bounce out and figured it had to have hit somebody. And unfortunately I went over there and the lady was bleeding all over the place. I felt really bad.
I've done that before. You don't ever feel good about it. You have kind of a pit in your stomach and hopefully you didn't hurt someone too bad. She was smiling. I don't know how she was smiling. But I just apologised the best I could. I wasn't trying to aim it over there for sure.

Q. You're not going to send her a little gift or something, are you?
TIGER WOODS: I've got to find out her name, first.

Q. People are going to talk about you winning a major now coming from behind. I know you'd rather be in the lead, but is this a challenge you wrap your arms around?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I'm in the position I've dealt myself. I need to play well tomorrow and hopefully get the title.

End of FastScripts

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