U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 2008

Tiger Woods

Q. If Rocco is sort of pinching himself at this point, are you at the point where you're sort of shaking your head at these escapes you're coming up with?

TIGER WOODS: Well, unfortunately, I kind of got off to such a quick start today, didn't I? Oh, yeah, again.

(Laughter.)

So, let's see, I don't know. I don't know what it is. But even though I got off to 3-over through 2 I was telling myself if I get back to even par for the day, that should win the championship. I got a long way to go. Plenty of holes to play. I've done it before. There's no reason I can't do it today. That would have been the winning number. But also very fortunate to get in a playoff as well.

Q. Did you know that birdie putt was true the minute you hit it?

TIGER WOODS: That was actually one of the worst parts of the green. It's so bumpy down there. And I just kept telling myself two and a half balls outside the right, but make sure you stay committed to it, make a pure stroke and if it plinkos in, or plinkos out it doesn't matter, as long as I make a pure stroke. And I did. I hit it good. It took forever to break, but it finally snuck in there at the end.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: It's just like, hey, we got one more day. I gave myself a chance. Looked like I was playing myself out of the tournament. Rocco made a mistake there I believe at 15 as well, and he didn't birdie 18. So at least it gave, well, Lee and myself a chance with one hole to go.

Q. On 13 there, you followed Lee into the ice plant.

TIGER WOODS: Oh, that was a terrible shot. It was like, I was trying to play just a high cut, use the wind, ride it up in there and I just hit a complete double cross. Just flipped it left. And it was gone so.

Q. 14, were you going to go for it?

TIGER WOODS: No, actually it was, you couldn't have picked a worse number for me. Because 5-wood is my number to the front, but it's into the wind so I can't get there. 3-wood's too much. I got to hit it out over the barranca and cut it. And if I over cut it I'm in the right bunker and I got no shot.

If I hit a hard 5-wood, I over hook it, I'm not really sure I could even get to the left bunker. I'm caught right in between clubs.

If we were to play the back tee? Of that upper tee? Play it all the way back I would have been fine. I could have hit 3- wood and gone for it. But I was just, I couldn't have had a worse situation for numbers wise.

Q. Is the knee better or worse compared to yesterday? I'm sure the game plan going in isn't, oh, I can get through five rounds on it.

TIGER WOODS: Well, it is what it is.

Q. After three doubles on No. 1, and other worldly play, afterwards, to put yourself in this position, again, what were you thinking after that this morning?

TIGER WOODS: As I said, after I got off to such a quick start I was 3-over through 2, just kept telling myself, just get back to even par for the day. Somehow just get back to even par for the day. You still got three par-5s ahead, you got plenty of the pillow cases were softer today, I can somehow, if I just stuck around there and got back to even par I would win the championship and it would have been true, but I'm in a playoff right now.

Q. How are you going to play 1 tomorrow?

TIGER WOODS: Hopefully better. I got to be committed to, I got to be really committed to what I'm doing. I hit a double cross today. I was trying to hit a little fade up there, hold it against the wind. Hit a double cross just like I did over on 13.

Q. Is the knee the reason it's going left?

TIGER WOODS: No. No. Just bad swings.

Q. You were about to answer a question and unfortunately you got cut off. The question regarding the knee, is it better or worse compared to yesterday and holding up for another day?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it's going to have to.

Q. Today was it better or worse than yesterday?

TIGER WOODS: Not better.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: We're going to have fun out there. Rock's a great guy. He's one of the greatest guys and a super nice guy out here on TOUR. There's not one person that can say that they don't like Rock.

It's going to be a great match. Even though it's stroke play, but still it's a stroke match, so we're just going to go at it.

Q. Tiger, what's the treatment in the evening on your knee?

TIGER WOODS: A lot of icing. Trying and get the swelling out. And just try and make sure I have a range of motion.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Not what I did. I had 9-iron I was just trying to hit it down there so I would have had about 80, 85 yards left. I laid the shaft down, hit it kind of fat and toed it off to the right. I was trying to put it off the right-hand side of the fairway, but I mean I stuck it straight in the sand and hit it way right. I wasn't trying to do that.

Q. Pitching wedge from there?

TIGER WOODS: I hit a 60 degree sand wedge. I had 95 front, 101 hole. And it was a perfect regular sand wedge, but a regular sand wedge I would have had to land it short of the green and bounce it in. So I had to go with full 60 and see what happens. At least give myself a chance. If it carries on the green, at least it's going to have some spin on it.

Q. What were you planning to do on Monday?

TIGER WOODS: I was planning on going to Mexico. I had a golf course visit I was going to go do down there.

Q. What did the doctor say about your knee? What did they tell you?

TIGER WOODS: Don't play golf.

(Laughter.)

Q. For five rounds?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I don't know. I usually play well. I've never struggled like this with that hole. I played it what 6- over for the week I think, no 5-over. I made a birdie.

(Laughter.)

So hopefully tomorrow I can get off to a better start.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Yes, sir.

Q. Tomorrow, what's the difference with it just being one group, nobody else around, I know you're usually in the final group, but is there any difference with nobody else around?

TIGER WOODS: Well, there's nothing, no one else we have to worry about. It's so much of what we're used to play in the old Dunhill Cup over at St. Andrews. It's stroke match. So you just have to worry about one person and take care of yourself as well.

Q. Do you like the 18 hole playoff or just as soon go out and play four holes?

TIGER WOODS: I would rather go right now, but that's just me. But hey, it is what it is. I'll be ready tomorrow at nine o'clock a.m. I think ball's in the air, so I'll be ready.