THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 21, 2013

Tiger Woods

Q. Talk about your day, please.
TIGER WOODS: You know what, I had a hard time adjusting to the speeds. They were much slower today, much softer. I don't think I got too many putts to the hole today. I really had a hard time and left myself a couple of long lag putts early on when it was really blowing, and left them way short and didn't make those putts. I didn't really play that poorly. I hit a couple of bad shots at 10, 11, that was about it and at 3. But other than that I really hit the ball well today. I was just -- I just couldn't ever get the pace of these things.

Q. Are you surprised (inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: I mean, I'm very surprised. Because I had 48 front yesterday on 15, and I hit sand wedge about 40 feet past the hole, went about a buck 70. Today I had 51 front, it was actually more downwind today at 1. And I hit sand wedge and it stopped, just like it did at 15 today. We hit two good shots in there and they both stopped. It was a very different golf course today.

Q. (Inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: I did. It was frustrating. I played well. I could just never get the speed right today. We started on the first day and it progressively got slower. And that's usually the opposite at most tournaments. It usually gets faster as the week goes on, but this week it was different. And today I had a couple of opportunities to make a couple of putts and I left them short.

Q. What are you going to take away from the week? What's your assessment?
TIGER WOODS: I'm very pleased with the way I'm playing, there's no doubt. I'm right there and I hit a ton of good shots this week, and the only thing that I would look back on this week is I just never got the speed after the first day, because it progressively got slower. I thought today they would be faster, given it's Sunday, and I thought they would let it go, but they actually got it even softer. Adam and I were talking about that today, we were surprised at a couple of the balls that were checking up, even at 18. 7-irons downwind and they didn't bounce up there.

Q. Given the conditions, how impressive is Phil's 66?
TIGER WOODS: It's certainly gettable out there. The greens are slower and if you have, I guess, the feel to hit it far enough up there into the greens, you can get it done. You can shoot between 3- and 5-under par today. But it's having the confidence to throw it far enough in there, because all week they've been bouncing over, if you threw it that deep. Evidently he got a pretty good feel for it and made a few putts.

Q. Obviously you put yourself there again, will you take the positives away or are you kicking yourself at all?
TIGER WOODS: Overall I've been very positive about how I played this week, and as I said, the frustrating part is I didn't get the speed. As the greens got slower, I had a harder time adjusting and hitting the putts harder because that first day I think it got to a lot of us that played in the afternoon. They were really quick and they kept getting faster and faster. As the week went on they got slower.

Q. The next Major is a couple of weeks away, what's your mindset, what's your preparation and so forth?
TIGER WOODS: I'm going to take a week off. We have World Golf Championship here at a golf course I like. And I've had a little bit of success on it. I'm looking forward to that. And getting up there and playing Oak Hill and seeing what they've done. They've made a few changes. Made the golf course a little longer than when we played back in '02, '03. It will be a little bit different, but I'd like to get a look see before that week starts.

Q. Did you watch TV this morning to see the golf?
TIGER WOODS: I did. And a couple of the guys were mumbling to their caddies and saying some things. You could see it. I saw a few tossed clubs here and there as the balls were checking up.

Q. Did they water the front of the greens, the approach?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. It did seem like watching TV, it kind of got you (inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: It did, I had 48 front yesterday on 15. And I hit a sand wedge that went 40 feet past the hole. Today I had a shorter number and I hit the shot in the way I wanted to and it stopped. And Adam's right in front of me, not too far after he hit his bunker shot, and he sand wedge over the back. If he didn't land the ball on the green, it was going to kick back to the flag, if not beyond, and shorter of the green it's going to check.

Q. (Inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: It was. He was saying it was a good fight out there today. And look forward to it.

Q. Winning 14 Majors, how has that helped you to deal with the drought?
TIGER WOODS: I've won 14 and in that spell where I haven't won since Torrey, I've been in there. It's not like I've lost my card and not playing out here. So I've won some tournaments in that stretch and I've been in probably about half the Majors on the back nine on Sunday with a chance to win during that stretch. I just haven't done it yet. And hopefully it will be in a few weeks.

Q. Does it take a little disappointment off because the winner shot so well?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I think if it does feel any better, is that Phil got to 3. If he would have posted 1 it would have been a different story. I think a lot of us would be a little more ticked than we are now. But he posted 3. That's a hell of a number.

Q. It seemed like you really wanted this.
TIGER WOODS: I want every one, are you kidding me? I felt like I was really playing well today. Actually the whole week. I really hit so many good shots and really had control of my ball this week. As I said, it was just trying to get the speed and I just didn't get it.