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AT&T NATIONALJuly 6, 2008Tiger WoodsBETHESDA, MARYLAND Q. Almost two weeks since the surgery, what is the degree of discomfort that you're feeling now? TIGER WOODS: I'm not liking it very much. Probably peaked about two days ago at its worst, but I think I'm on the good side now, and actually doing better. Q. The surgery was on June 24, ACL surgery and there was a graft involved. Can you explain exactly what the doctor did when he performed this operation? TIGER WOODS: Well, what they did they took a tendon out of my right leg and inserted it into my left ACL, repaired the cartilage damage that I also sustained during the time I played, and other than that, I'm good to go. Q. You're planning to take six months off, I believe, and you said at the moment you're having great difficulty walking. The golfers would love to know how you plan to get the golf game into sync and ready for next season. TIGER WOODS: Well, I think as of right now, I don't know, because right now, I just hope I can get up out of bed and go to the bathroom, little things like that are a challenge. So for me, to think about playing golf, that's so far away. I'm just looking forward to actually walking again and putting weight on this leg for the first time. That's actually a ways off. As far as golf is concerned, I really don't know. I don't know how my body is going to heal from this, and when I can return and start rotating on it and start moving the leg a little bit, and then from there, obviously you have your practise sessions, your prep and then obviously ultimately playing in tournaments. So I don't know how that's going to be. Q. Do you believe that things happen for a reason and to be dealt this card at this stage of your career and be forced to take this time off; what's your feelings on that? TIGER WOODS: Well, it is what it is. You just deal with it. You know, playing at The Open -- the intent was to go to the end of the season and then have the reconstruction done, but after sustaining the stress fractures coming back, I decided going into the open that was going to be my last event for the year. So from that standpoint it was disappointing because I was really looking forward to some of the venues coming up for the British Open and PGA and the rest of the season. So from that standpoint it's disappointing but then again, get to be at home with Sam and watch her grow and then develop so, from that standpoint it's been a lot of fun. Q. You've talked a bit about the physical discomfort. How are you dealing with this emotionally? TIGER WOODS: Well, that's the frustrating thing. As everyone knows, I'm pretty fired up. I like to move and keep it going. And the thing is for me it's still not easy to do and I don't have a choice. As I said a couple of days ago, it wasn't very fun. But I'm on the good side now and I can start sleeping more than an hour at times, and can get a little bit more rest which is good. I've been laid up pretty much every day all day, moving from the bedroom to the couch and back to the bedroom and maybe a few bathroom stops along the way, but that's pretty much how my day goes. Q. And just taking you back to the Open, and just for a bit of fun, three questions here and I know you're really good -- you can use a one-word answer if you really want. Two months without playing a tournament, how did you win? TIGER WOODS: I don't know. I don't know. I really don't know how I pulled that off. Q. You basically went with, what, five minutes practise, compared to a normal work regime? How did you win with such little practice? TIGER WOODS: That's one of the things that we can't really figure out. I can hit balls for probably two, three, four, five balls at a time and then I have to sit down in the cart because the stress fractures were giving me some pain. Once the pain subsided, I could hit two, three, four, more balls and that was pretty much my day and I would go home and pretty much done for the day. That's how I got ready for The Open. But at least I was going to a golf course I knew and a golf course I felt comfortable on. I knew all of the breaks on the greens; I just needed to get to the green. Q. One of the stories I heard from your caddies is that your knee was actually making noises -- (Inaudible.) TIGER WOODS: I don't care, that's something I never want to go through again. Q. How tough is it to not be here as the host of the tournament? TIGER WOODS: It very disappointing. You know, it's my tournament and I want to be there. Flying is not exactly the best thing for me because I have to keep the swelling down. So I have to stay here and personally text message and call everyone and see what's going on up there every step of the way. So everyone will probably get annoyed with me because I'm calling all the time, but I feel bad that I can't be there to support AT&T and what everyone has done, everybody at Congressional and all of the military personnel and all of the volunteers and all of the people that made it a special event; I can't come there and shake their hand and say hello and thank you. I do feel guilty from that standpoint, and it is a little more difficult than I thought it would be. Q. You're a man of enormous pride, you must take a lot of pride in how the event goes down this year -- TIGER WOODS: It's been incredible, just the way the tournament's been received by the players, the local community, how they have come out, Condoleeza Rice coming out yesterday, it touched my heart, because I grew up in a military household. My dad was in Special Forces and we are at war now overseas; and to have all of the personnel come out and watch and support the event, it's our way of saying thank you. We don't say thank you enough and what they do for our country and this is our small way of saying thank you. Last year how it was received and this year, it's been incredible. At least I got to experience this last year. This year I just watched on TV and it's been incredible. Q. How about the money that goes to the Foundation? TIGER WOODS: Well, everything is going to go to our new Learning Center. Right now we are in the process of narrowing it down to one or two sites that we will select and we will announce it end of next year or early next year, in the D.C. area where we will build a Learning Center just like out in Anaheim. We'll start with that, and everybody who comes out to support the event, all of the sponsors, they are directly benefitting and helping us create a Learning Center for the kids, so the community actually benefits. It's been incredible for them to support what we believe in, and we also thank them. Q. You are greatly missed here and on the Tour and Nick Faldo said stay away from the chips and dips. See you back on the golf course. TIGER WOODS: Thanks, I'll see you guys. End of FastScripts |
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