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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 18, 2010

Tiger Woods

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

Q. Can you sum up your week for us, please.
TIGER WOODS: The week. I drove it great all week, hit my irons pretty good, and I did not putt well except for the first day. I believe I had like nine three-putts for the week, so consequently I'm pretty far down the board.

Q. Was this a microcosm of the entire week for you today?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, pretty much. If I got something going, I would somehow find a way to stop the momentum. That was either like I did today at 4 or making a three-putt like I did yesterday, and I got it going, birdied 12, hit a good drive yesterday there, and then three-putt two holes in a row. Basically that's kind of what I did all week.

Q. After winning the last two tournaments what was the feeling like walking up 18th today?
TIGER WOODS: People were great. People were fantastic. Unfortunately I wasn't in the lead but still it was very warm.

Q. You're leaving with a good feeling?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, the people have been fantastic all week, and for them to be as warm as they were the first few days with Tom right behind me and then obviously this weekend.

Q. (Inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: As soon as I made double on 4. I knew the start I needed to get off to. I was 2-under through 3, and if I could somehow make 3 on 4 and somehow a birdie or an eagle on 5, that's what could have happened, that's what I felt like. But obviously that didn't happen.

Q. You lipped it in on 4?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I did. I tried to play a low one out of there and run it up the hill. It got to the top and rolled back in.

Q. How did you double 7?
TIGER WOODS: I drove it into the fairway bunker there and up against the wall and had to play backwards, pitched it up there short and then three-putted.

Q. Change your putter today?
TIGER WOODS: I did.

Q. What did you go back to?
TIGER WOODS: Back to the old one.

Q. You just needed a change or --
TIGER WOODS: Well, yeah, I just felt that my speed was off, and just going back to something where I know how it comes off.

Q. But the greens obviously haven't changed speed.
TIGER WOODS: The greens are a little bit faster than they were the first day. I just didn't feel comfortable with my speed, so I went back to my old putter.

Q. Does it help at all the fact that Louis had such a big lead, takes a little bit of oomph out of the loss, not being able to win this thing?
TIGER WOODS: No, no, sorry.

Q. Do you feel satisfaction about your performance or disappointment that you didn't win?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I feel satisfaction in the sense that I drove it on a string all week and hit my irons pretty good, but other than the first day, I did not putt well at all. You just can't play and expect to win golf tournaments if you have nine or ten three-putts for a week. No one can win doing that. Got to clean that up before I tee it up again.

Q. Where are you at, do you think, in your game now?
TIGER WOODS: Driving-wise, better than it's been in years. Iron play, not quite as sharp as I need to have it, and my putting is way off.

Q. How about short game?
TIGER WOODS: Short game is good, yeah.

Q. What do you do, go home and work on putting?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, well, this week I kept having long putts, and I wasn't real steady in the wind out there. I couldn't feel anchored. Granted, where we're going to be playing from here on in, it's not going to blow like this, so I won't have that problem.

Q. When was the last time you would say you've made significant alterations to your putting stroke?
TIGER WOODS: Never.

Q. You've always done well at Firestone, are you looking at that as a place --
TIGER WOODS: No, just keep building, keep putting things back to where they're more consistent day in and day out, which I'm doing. But just like today, got to not have those holes where it breaks momentum, like I did yesterday at 13, make a three-putt there, today making a 6 at 4. Once I build some positive momentum, I've got to keep that going like I did the first day.

Q. How long has it been, do you think, since you've kind of been this inconsistent, struggled that much in your golf game? Was it back to when you first made the big changes with Butch?
TIGER WOODS: No, actually I'm driving it better than I have in years, but I'm just not making the putts. It's ironic that as soon as I start driving it on a string, I miss everything. Maybe I should go back to spraying it all over the lot and make everything.

Q. What was the biggest positive you take out of this week?
TIGER WOODS: The biggest positive, that I've built on my ball-striking. The last few weeks I've been a lot better, but I just need to get where my pace is good and start seeing some putts go in.

Q. You've had your fair share of front-running over the years. How big an achievement is it for Louis to have been in front for as long as he has in these conditions?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, he's doing all the things he needs to do. He's being consistent, putting all the pressure on Paul to come get him. He doesn't need to go out there and shoot a low round today, just needs to be around par. I figure par or under par is going to win the tournament for him. Like I said to Tom earlier, there's only one hard pin coming in, that's 16. Otherwise he can play real defensive, real conservative and keep making his pars, and if he happens to get a hole like 14 where he can get there in two or 18 he can drive, take advantage of making a birdie there, and basically the tournament is his.

Q. Do you feel there's been an opportunity missed here?
TIGER WOODS: That's just the way it goes. I'm not going to win all of them. I've lost a lot more than I've won.

Q. Back to the putting, as long as we've known you, you've always been a really good putter. What was the last time you really struggled with putting?
TIGER WOODS: Last year early in the year, for sure, I was struggling pretty good. But I put it back together again. All it is is just practise and getting the reps in, and I'm going to go do that.

Q. Will it be with this putter or go back to your old putter?
TIGER WOODS: I don't know.

Q. It's a tough place to practise out here, isn't it?
TIGER WOODS: Well, it's hard to practise when the wind is blowing this hard, that's the problem, because you're not anchored so it's hard to do your drills. I guess even behind the grandstand there where you could hide with the wind being sheltered, it was still whipping in there pretty good. It was really hard to do your work here.

Q. You've won half your majors at venues that we've seen this year. How disappointed are you to be walking away with none this year?
TIGER WOODS: The good news is I've won half of them not on these venues, too.

End of FastScripts

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