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WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL

August 5, 2011

Tiger Woods

AKRON, OHIO

TIGER WOODS: I didn't putt as well as I did yesterday, and consequently I just never got the round going.

Q. Out of the rough, it seemed like it was kind of hard to judge how far the ball was going to go.
TIGER WOODS: Well, it is for me. I don't know about the rest of the guys, but I'm just having a hard time judging distance as it is. I'm hitting the ball so much farther.
As I said yesterday, I got so much more compression, the ball is just going, and I've just got to get used to that and trust the number. I'm hitting the ball numbers I've never hit before.

Q. It was clearly you came off yesterday with a lot of positive feeling. How do you compare it to today?
TIGER WOODS: Same. I was so close to -- I know my stats don't show it, but just the way I'm driving the golf ball, the start lines are so much tighter, and the shape of the shots are so much tighter. You know, just like B and I were talking out there, I'm so close to putting the ball on a string, so it's coming.

Q. I know Tim alluded to this, what comes back slowest or is hardest to recover after a layoff?
TIGER WOODS: Well, it's usually my short game, but I have a short game facility in the back yard, so I can't say that. Here this week it's been getting the ball the right number. It's just as hot at home, if not hotter. The ball should be flying about the same, but it's not. I'm swinging better, so I've got to get used to new numbers.

Q. Is the way you putted yesterday more like the way you've been putting at home and practicing?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, today was not very good. Just didn't -- the path wasn't very good going back. It was underneath the path and it was under the plane, and it was just not very good.

Q. How do you swing easier and hit it farther? Because your tempo looks as good as it's looked in a way.
TIGER WOODS: Just compression.

Q. Just getting weight onto your left side?
TIGER WOODS: Not necessarily that, no.

Q. It's hard to envision how --
TIGER WOODS: I don't want to explain it to you.

Q. Are you still doing the thing where you're going through the bag and trying to mirror the half in everything, short game, putter, irons?
TIGER WOODS: It's already in there now.

Q. So you feel comfortable now?
TIGER WOODS: Absolutely. I don't have to think about it anymore.

Q. You definitely putt differently than you did ten years ago?
TIGER WOODS: No, actually it's the same.

Q. Really?
TIGER WOODS: Uh-huh.

Q. Can you talk about playing with Darren the first two days and how you enjoyed that?
TIGER WOODS: You know, I think that he's been a little bit busy. Being an Open Champion, he's had more appearances, more responsibilities, people want to thank him. He hasn't been practicing as much. He's played tournaments afterwards, so he hasn't had any kind of rest, downtime, and he's got two big events this week. He's looking forward to having a little time off. It's starting to show a little bit. He's a little run down. But still, just a great guy and always fun playing with him.

Q. Are you ever surprised at how many fans are still out there supporting you?
TIGER WOODS: I think it's great they just came out, period. It's great to have them come out and support the event. This is a big event, and whether they're following me or someone else, it's great to have them out here.

Q. How much of a relief is it to play pain-free?
TIGER WOODS: You have no idea. Larry would.

Q. Your shoes have gotten a lot of comments. Are they just a new brand of shoes you're wearing?
TIGER WOODS: All of the above. I'm able to activate the foot and get the whole chain working from foot up. Something that I haven't been able to engage, but now I'm engaging it. I wear the Frees all the time at home, all my training sessions are in them. There's no reason I can't play in them, so that's why we created them.

Q. Is there any post-match therapy you go through to try to keep things from sliding back? How did you feel this morning? Do you wear any type of braces or anything you have to do?
TIGER WOODS: No, just go hit more balls and more putting.

Q. Is the Scotty Cameron back in the bag permanently?
TIGER WOODS: Uh-huh.

Q. For good?
TIGER WOODS: For now.

Q. Obviously you didn't get into red numbers today. Are you still heartened by where you're at with two days to go?
TIGER WOODS: The pins were slightly more difficult, and these greens are getting a little chewed up out there. They're soft. We've had some rain, and even though we were in the morning wave, Darren and I were talking about the ball is bouncing a little bit. And the afternoon guys aren't going to have as smooth a greens and the pins are slightly more difficult. So kind of the combo platter.

Q. You made clear yesterday what your expectations are, sort of in keeping with always. You come to these things to win. Would it be so bad for you to back off of that, to set a lower goal, to just ease back into this after what you've been through?
TIGER WOODS: No.

Q. Why not?
TIGER WOODS: Never have. Why show up at a tournament if you're not there to win? There's no reason to come.

Q. There would be other guys who came back from injury --
TIGER WOODS: I'm not other guys.

Q. Your feeling and how positive you feel, how reflected is that in your score?
TIGER WOODS: That's a tough question to answer. You know, just go out there and playing, having fun doing it. Unfortunately just didn't make as many putts today, but I'm close to putting it together.

Q. You had a couple of mishaps, the short one you missed and then the double, but you bounced back both times. What was your feeling on the short putt there? What happened?
TIGER WOODS: Putter blade went in and under going back, and it was going to start left all the way, so hence I blocked it to try to get it back on line and over-cooked it.
I did the same thing over on 8, too, same deal. Got to go work on that a little bit.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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