Press conference - Tiger Woods

JULIUS MASON: Tiger Woods, ladies and gentlemen, joining us this afternoon in the interview room at the 82nd PGA Championship.

Thank you very much for grabbing a seat as quickly as you can. As soon as we are finished in here, we are racing up to the Champions Clinic at the practice range which begins at 4 o'clock, so we hope you all can join us up there.

At this time, I'd like to go ahead and ask Tiger to give us some of his opening thoughts of the 82nd PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, and then we will turn it over to Q and A.

TIGER WOODS: Well, it is nice to be back at the PGA Championship. The summer has been pretty good for me, and I am looking forward to playing this week. Played a practice round today, played nine holes today and I played 18 last Tuesday.

The golf course is running a little bit. The fairways are starting to dry out, and the greens are definitely starting to quicken up. I don't think they are going to get them that quick, just because the fact that it is so hot, they need to keep syringing the greens to keep the speed down. The golf course is in fabulous shape. We will see what happens this week.

JULIUS MASON: Thank you, Tiger.

Q. You have the chance to become the first to win three majors in the same year since Hogan in 1953. Just talk about that, and does that motivate you, or is it just the fact that it is a major?

TIGER WOODS: The latter. The fact that it is just a major championship. If I worry -- it's like going to the British Open and worrying about completing the Grand slam. I think that is just a by-product of winning the tournament. For me, this week, I am going to give it everything I have to put myself in position, hopefully win the tournament, and whatever happens, happens.

But I am not here trying to duplicate what Hogan did in '53. That strictly is a by-product of winning the tournament.

JULIUS MASON: He is not concerned about what he shot in 1937 either.

Q. Did you read the story about you in Time Magazine, and if so, what did you think of it since it was a little different than a lot of the other pieces?

TIGER WOODS: I read about half of it. It was a little different. It was a different look. I don't know what the end of it was, but I read about half of each section on both of them, and I said, that was enough.

Q. You know how it ends?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I kind of -- since I was there, I kind of know. But it is just one of those things where it is quite an honor to be on the cover of Time Magazine, especially with all the political stuff going on right now in our country. I think it is very humbling to be a part of that. But the article itself, it was a little different and it was very interesting to see a different perspective on it.

Q. A lot of people have said this golf course sets up well for you. Given the diversity of courses where you have won, I am not sure what that means. Do you think it sets up well for you, and if so, why?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think it sets up well for anyone who hits the ball high. Obviously, that is the way Nicklaus golf courses are kind of designed; you have got to bring the ball in high. I have traditionally have played well on Nicklaus-designed golf courses. This week you have to drive the ball in the fairway, because, obviously, the rough is up, and with the severity of the greens, if you are driving the ball in the fairway, at least you can control your spin on these greens and you've got to be pretty accurate with your irons. You are going to have some situations where you have got some bad bounces on the greens, just because of the mounding, and that is just part of playing this golf course.

But I think the most important thing this week is get the ball in the fairway.

Q. Barring the possibility of playing with Jack in a Masters in the future, Friday might be your one of the last chances you ever have to play with him in a major. Any thoughts on that possibility? Do you think this will be it in the majors, with the exception of The Masters, for Jack?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I hope it is not, from a player, as well as a fan, of Jack Nicklaus, and what he has meant to the game.

I hope he plays more. But, if he doesn't, he doesn't. He has had a fabulous career. He has done a lot for this game and he is getting up there to the point where, I don't know if he -- if he really wants to grind it out, practicing, preparing, getting ready for a major championships like you have to. That is just part of playing this game for so many years. He has meant so much to this game of golf that it would be nice to play with him in The Masters, but I don't know how many years he will play in that, either, just from the standpoint that if he feels that he can't win anymore, then he just won't play.

Q. You are friends David Duval, who announced today that he had to withdraw from the tournament. I wonder if you have spoken to him, and can maybe tell us a little bit more what is bothering him?

TIGER WOODS: No, I have not spoken to him.

He and I were talking a little bit on the airplane coming back from the British Open we flew home together, and David said, "If this wasn't a major championship, there is no way I would have played."

Obviously, you can see his back was pretty sore and it was bothering him quite a bit when we were playing. Obviously, the telecast showed how gingerly he bent over to pick up his golf balls, tee up his shots. I never saw him bent over and pick up grass to throw. I saw Boats (phonetic) do it.

Hopefully, his back will get better, and I really don't know what is wrong with it. I didn't ask him. If he felt like sharing it with me, then he would. But I just feel bad for him because he is a good guy. He is one of my friends. I just hope he gets better.

Q. You want to assess your game coming into this championship, because I know you worked hard and you always had in the back of your mind the shots you need and what you need to work on. How are you playing coming into this championship?

TIGER WOODS: I am playing all right. I broke 84 straight days last week, which was good for me. (Laughter).

More than anything, I felt like last week, day by day, I was getting a little bit better. It may not have reflected in the scoring or some of the shots I hit, but just the quality of good shots, I was definitely getting better.

It was nice to feel that progress.

Now, this week I went home yesterday and I was practicing at home. Hit quite a few balls and felt pretty good, and today I hit the ball all right. So it is shaping up, and hopefully, it will come together by Thursday.

Q. What do you think of Ernie Els,the year Ernie Els has had so far and your thoughts on that?

TIGER WOODS: I think Ernie has had one of the greatest years in golf, for not winning a major like what Greg did in 1986 with a Saturday Slam. Very similar to that. I mean, he has played absolutely wonderful golf.

It is just that unfortunately he has come up second. But he has won two Major Championships. He has proven that he is a great player, and by finishing close to winning, you learn a lot, and I am sure he has learned and he will probably apply it this week.

Q. Just a little bit more on your preparation here last week. You were talking about specific shots that you were working on. You went out and practiced today. How did that go, and do you feel you are where you want to be or do you have to practice it more?

TIGER WOODS: I am not quite there yet, and today is only Tuesday, so you don't want to exactly be right on on Tuesday. I felt like my game is progressing day by day and it is nice to feel that.

From here on out, it is kind of touch it up a little bit, get more of a feel of the golf course and the greens and the chipping areas and locations, where I need to put the ball with the correct spin and things like that, more -- course management.

Overall, I felt pretty good about where my game is progressing. Hopefully it will be ready by Thursday.

Q. Tiger, since turning professional, obviously, you have wanted to peak at majors, but over the past year, you have been very successful more successful than you were before. I wanted to know why you think that is, and do you think you are learning more about the so-called phenomenon of peaking for the majors?

TIGER WOODS: I am definitely learning, because when I grew up playing Junior and Amateur golf, there is only one tournament a year that you wanted to win; that was either U.S. junior or the U.S. Amateur. Those were the only tournaments. That is it. You peak one time a year. I did all right doing that.

But, when you turn professional, it is four; you have to peak at four different conditions. You have to prepare yourself differently for each one. I am starting to understand what I need to do to get ready for each one; what it requires, mentally and physically, emotionally, and that is just -- I guess that is experience, really.

As time goes on, I will probably get a little bit more of a grasp of how to prepare myself for these major championships, but each year I have gotten better at getting ready and peaking for majors. It is just a matter of learning a little bit more, and, hopefully, I can keep repeating the process.

Q. Can you talk about your reaction to when you heard that you were going to be playing with Jack? And also, how unique is this in terms of golf for you and Jack to be playing in the same group at a major championship?

TIGER WOODS: When I first heard, I was very surprised. I thought it was either going to be Ernie or Davis, because I won in 1999, Vijay won in '98; Davis won in '97. So, I thought they would put the 1997 PGA champion in the group, but it was quite a surprise to hear Jack was in the group.

It was a pleasant surprise. Jack is obviously greatest champion of all time, and it was neat to be playing with him, and possibly in possibly his last PGA Championship. With that prospect, it was -- it is going to be quite an honor and a lot of fun to play with him.

Q. You mentioned last week you are aware of past champions and their contributions. I wonder if you can draw any parallels to Hogan in yourself, not so much the shot-making, but the way he was able to block out everything around him? And obviously you will have got a lot of activity going on around you, not only on the course, but off it. Could you talk about comparisons --

TIGER WOODS: I think Hogan did it in a different way. He played in a time when the media atmosphere wasn't as what it is now; as well as the fanfare and the huge galleries that we play in front of; so, that is different.

But he played in a way -- he played golf, mentally and emotionally, he really liked to just kind of be on his own and blocked everything out, and that is what I try and do. But I also understand that there are a lot of people out who are here to see me, and I try to have fun and joke around with the gallery a little bit here and there and try and sign autographs.

But it is tough. It is tough when people are yelling and screaming at each other, so you have to try and block it out. You'd like to say you can, but when someone is two feet away from you screaming in your ear -- it is kind of funny. Now I know why Arnold goes "Eh?" (Laughter).

Q. How have you been able -- with so much around you, keep your eyes so focused on U.S. Open, on the British Open on everything ahead of you? How have you managed to do that?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think it -- you prioritize what you want to try and accomplish. That is what I want to try and do. I want to win major championships. That is something I try and peak my game for, and try and have everything come together during those weeks. And I understand there are other commitments and responsibilities, but then again, I also understand that I need to do what is best for Tiger Woods to get ready for these tournaments. A lot of people here in the media room understand that now and respect that. They have gotten to know the -- and feel what I like to do at major championships. They understand that. It is wonderful.

Q. Could you talk about how you played No. 7 last week and today? Will you always take the left side?

TIGER WOODS: I will. For me, it sets up -- it's a better tee shot for me to go down the left. I hit driver, 2-iron over the green last Tuesday and driver, 4-iron over the green today. The hole, it probably takes off, I don't know, depending on the wind, upwards of 60 yards off the hole. But then again, if you miss the fairway, you better hope you get a good lie, so you can advance it either up the right or forward depending on where the pin location is and what the wind is doing.

Q. Woody Austin said last week at the Buick he thinks the galleries that follow had you provided you with such a great support system that it gives you a huge advantage at every tournament. Do you agree with that, and are you concerned that the galleries maybe become too unruly?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I -- I don't know if I can exactly agree with that. When you are out there and you hear a lot of the fans screaming and yelling, it is nice and it is positive, saying nice things.

But, I don't know, sometimes it depends how you are playing. Sometimes it gets to you; sometimes it doesn't.

But are they getting unruly? At times, yes, depends on if the tournament is selling the beverages of their choice, and hopefully they don't consume too many of them in the hot sun. But that is usually what ends up happening is that in order to make more bang for the buck, that is what they do, and sell a lot of it. And unfortunately, towards the end of the afternoon when the leaders start coming around, it gets a little loud.

Q. Tiger, you have spoken about Hogan before, but I am just curious about the swing. Do you see any parallels between your quest for technical perfection in the swing with the kind of determination Hogan had to hone the move that he had?

TIGER WOODS: You know, I really don't believe that there is such a thing as perfection, because we are human, we are all technically imperfect, so how can we ever achieve perfection?

But what I will tell you this: That I have always been a big believer of professional excellence, and that is what I try and achieve. I know I can never get to a point where I hit perfect shots every time, and I just want to become the best I can be and that, to me, is professional excellence.

Q. Just talk a little bit about what you know about Hogan toward that end and his quest?

TIGER WOODS: Obviously, he hit a lot of golf balls. Then again, his swing required it. He changed his swing pretty dramatically from what was earlier in his career to what it was later in his career when he won a lot of major championships.

Well, his swing is such that it does take a lot of timing, and he was a person who loved to practice, too. So, it was both. It was wonderful. It was a good combination. There are guys who hit a lot of golf balls just because they like to hit a lot of golf balls. Other guys do it out of necessity because their swing needs it.

The way Hogan played, I believe it was combination of -- and he fought a hook all of his life, and to be able to get to the point where he never -- seemed like he never really feared the left ball as he did coming down the stretch, and that is quite a bit of dedication.

Q. Not to downplay your success, but does the media, do the fans get a little too caught up in your dominance from tournament to tournament? Do we forget maybe that there are other guys that can win?

TIGER WOODS: No doubt about it. This is a fabulous field. There are wonderful golfers in this field. Some of the elite players as well as wonderful club pros. You never know, and that is the beauty of this game.

I think I saw on TV the other day, I had something -- like a 20% winning percentage. Most sports, that is terrible. You know, you lose 8 out of 10 times, and people say that is great.

But, you know, there are so many good players out here that, you know, it is really hard to say that that there aren't. I think the media and the fans sometimes forget how many good players there really are in the game right now.

Q. In 1996 when the PGA was here, I know you have said before you watched on TV, there were a lot of knocks on the golf course. You have only seen it one time around, I guess, full-time. What kind of test is this golf course going to prove this weekend?

TIGER WOODS: I think this golf course is -- obviously, is different for the caliber of major championship courses that you are used to seeing this year. I mean, you have Augusta, you have Pebble Beach and you have St. Andrews, and I don't think anyone -- you ask anyone, I don't think you are going to say that Valhalla is in the same caliber as those three golf courses.

But this golf course is going to be a test and we can't ignore that. This golf course has a lot of rough. The greens are very severe. And the penalty for missing fairways and missing greens is like any major championship; you are going to pay the price.

Tiger Woods in smiles to the crowded press room. Allsport.

Q. You changed your normal routine the week before majors by playing your way into this. How has that affected your preparation, and did you have any trepidation about doing that?

TIGER WOODS: I didn't, because I did the same swing in 1997 and 1998; so, I have done it twice before that. I played all right in both majors. I finished in the Top-10 in both Buicks.

So, one of the main reasons why I play -- I didn't really do anything after the British Open, I just kind of took a little time off and didn't touch a club for a while. I need to get back into it. Plus, I needed to work on getting the ball back up in the air again. We're used to running the ball on the ground, and I changed my swing plane quite a bit over at the British Open. I need to start hitting the ball up in the air, especially getting ready for Valhalla in which you need to hit the ball up in the air.

Q. Can you talk about your wrist if there was any reminiscence of Sunday's injury at the Buick?

TIGER WOODS: No, the wrist is good. It was just, I guess, a stinger, you can say. I hit the root and it hurt quite a bit initially, then as I was walking to my ball, it all went away. But I took out that root pretty good, though.

Q. One follow-up question. They lengthened this course a little bit to try the put the driver back in your hands a little bit more. How many times will you believe able to hit driver? And today on No. 1, was that driver that you hit? It looked like it went a little long.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it did, because when I played here on Tuesday the fairways were very soft. It had rained. I believe it was something like three to five inches before that. They got some rain the night before I got here that Monday night. So, it rained quite a bit. Each ball I hit was backing up in the fairway or picking up mud. It was different to see the ball run.

So, will I hit driver? Depends on the wind. How many times? I really don't know because it really is dependent on what the wind is doing. If the wind is coming downwind on the first hole, then there is really no point of hitting driver, because you run out of fairway even though it is playing, I think it was 315 to the run-out, straightaway. That 315 comes up pretty quick. It plays about 280. So, if you hit driver 280 yards, I am in the rough.

Q. Did you allow yourself to maybe celebrate, decompress a little bit of a winning the Grand Slam, the emotions of winning that fourth one? And do you approach -- is there maybe a different approach now to the majors now that you have won each one and you know what it takes to win each one?

TIGER WOODS: I did relax and I did enjoy. I did savor the moment of winning the British Open. But I also understood and realized in the back of my mind that there is always this kind of inkling. Yeah, there is one more ahead of you. Yeah, you go ahead and enjoy this one, because you have earned it, you have played hard and you won the tournament.

But then again, don't lose sight of the fact that the year is not over yet. You have got one more major championship and then you have some good tournaments at the end of the year coming up you need to finish off.

You do savor the moment, but then again, in the back of your mind, you are still kind of thinking ahead, and that is kind of how I approached it. I did relax and I did enjoy, and it was a lot of fun.

Q. For two minutes?

TIGER WOODS: It was a little longer than two minutes.

Q. Initially, you had honored the Screen Actor's Guild strike as far as your commercial shoots. Can you talk about the evolution of how that -- of what your initial thought process was and how that changed as time went on?

TIGER WOODS: Well, and also I have commitments to my sponsors, and they don't pay me a little bit of money, so I understand that and I understand my responsibilities to them. I try and uphold that. I have been part of that, my sponsors, for a very long time, and I have always I feel very loyal to them. I understand where the Screen Actor's Guild position is. That is one of the reasons why we went to Canada to try and go to neutral grounds so everyone is happy.

Obviously, that is not the case, but we are working on it. Hopefully we can come to some kind of resolution and I am very confident that we will.

Q. Are you pursuing Jack Nicklaus in his records, and if you are, when did that pursuit begin?

TIGER WOODS: Am I pursuing Jack Nicklaus' records -- well, I guess -- anyone who plays the game is trying to get to what he has been able to do in the game. He set the bar very high and he has been the one who has -- not necessarily won the most championships. Sam Snead did that, but he won the biggest ones over and over and over again. To be able to complete the Slam three times over is pretty impressive.

Have I tried to chase him? Well, I really don't think it is realistic to think about that yet until you get into, I guess, double digits, early to maybe teens. That is kind of how I think you need to approach it, because it is going to take time. It is not going to happen in one year. It is going to take quite a bit of time, and hopefully things will go well for a long period of time in my career.

Q. On those rare times when you go a couple of weeks without hitting a club, what sort of things do you do to relax when you get away from golf and just in your personal time?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I fish and I hang out and take vacations and just kind of get away from things. Hang out with my friends that I haven't seen in a long time. And we just kind of just enjoy things.

When you play golf and you travel around the world, yeah, that is very enjoyable, but then, also, again, you are also working too. It is nice to be able to put the sticks down and get away from it and gear back up for it when everything is done.

Q. I asked this from a New Zealand perspective, but the way things are looking if you continue this good form, there is every chance that Steve Williams will win Sports Person of the Year in our country. I just wonder, is the combination of Butch Harmon, Steve Williams and yourself golf's Dream Team?

TIGER WOODS: Oh, I don't know. That is a good question. But, to be honest with you, I don't think -- as you know, I don't think anything will ever compare to the All Blacks down there. I think that is as big as it gets in that country.

Stevie has been a big part of my success. There is no denying that. He has helped me out quite a bit. He has been there to not only to motivate me when things are going bad, but to he -- has the gall to tell me that when I am kind of feeling uneasy about a club, what he thinks, and not to not be afraid to get in there and get in my face about it and that is nice.

It is very -- he has got a lot of confidence in his ability as being a caddie and that is very reassuring as a player.

At the U.S. Open, for instance, on -- I believe it was Sunday on 15 -- I was over the golf ball, my second shot, and it was a guy with a camera, with one of those disposable cameras, pulling it out of his pocket and about ready to take a picture; Stevie called me off the shot. He says, "Okay, Tiger, get off the shot, there is a guy with a camera." He went after the guy with the camera. Not too many guys would actually do that, because, one, you are in the U.S. Open and you have a chance to win it. And to be able to say "get off the shot" when I am over the golf ball, that takes a lot of guts, and he did it, and I put it up there and made par and walked on.

Butch has been there since I was -- I don't know, about what was I, 17, when I first met Butch. Butch and I have had a wonderful relationship. He is one of my good friends besides being a coach. And we have enjoyed each other's company, worked very hard on building a golf swing that is what it is now and we will continue to work hard.

Q. Tiger, seems like every story I read about you recently tries to answer the question, "Who is Tiger Woods." It will mention how much more you are trying to control your image and control access to you. It will mention that you don't like Steve Williams to do interviews; that you don't have Joanna do interviews; it will claim that close friends who reveal things about you will later be censored. I am curious, why do you feel the need to guard your privacy so closely?

TIGER WOODS: You know, they can do whatever they want to do. It is their life and it is their choice. For them to go ahead and do interviews if they want to, fine. But it is up to them ultimately. I can offer -- I can say that I don't think it is good for you to do that, just because the standpoint if you do it once, you are going to have to do it twice, a third time, and fourth time and then so forth and so on. Then the media, as you all know, you like to kind of hammer people.

So, from that standpoint, it would be very difficult if you got into that snowball effect of it. Because I have been through it. I am living it and I know and I understand it. If I could offer any advice to them, it would be that. It is a very difficult one 'til it all starts. A lot of things that you read in the press that you say my friends say and are they censored by that or I sensor them; a lot of that is made up that. It is just the tabloids running rampant and trying to sell stories, because that is obviously what sells.

Q. I have just get a couple of questions. First one, real hot roomer in Louisville says you have bought a house here?

TIGER WOODS: I have not. I have heard that from the first person when I got off the airplane, first questions was: Do you live here? I said, no.

Q. We are trying to claim you. Second question is: The three golf courses that you mentioned in the rotation this year, obviously, you have had blow-out wins there. Will Valhalla allow you to have a blow-out win here?

TIGER WOODS: I really don't know. Going into those tournaments would I have said that I could blow out the field there? I probably would have said, no, I don't know, we will see what happens. If I play well and things go my way, you never know. This week is, as I said, a week in which you need to drive the golf ball well. I was able to do that at at the U.S. Open. Obviously, traditionally, U.S. Open puts a high premium on driving the ball in the fairway.

This week is no exception. You have to get the ball in the fairway. The fairways are wider than normal major championship golf courses, but you pay the price, because if you drive the ball in the rough here, go into these greens with as much undulations and much slope and they are all elevated, you are going to pay the price; you are going to make some bogeys.

This week, if I can drive the ball in the fairway and get the ball in the correct places in the greens and make a few putts, you never know what can happen.

Q. I know you are someone who likes to use his creativity, on the golf course. Talk about the creativity and imagination you need around these greens, as well as and dips and the high rough around it?

TIGER WOODS: You need to hopefully miss the ball in the right position where you are not on the short side where you have a little bit of room to work with, and that is the way it is in every major championship; you try not to short-side yourself. At least, you give yourself a chance to get up-and-down.

These bunkers are designed back when before Jack changed his style of bunkering, where he -- the bunkers is more away from the green than his courses are now, which means that you have longer bunker shots, which means that you are going to have slope running away from you; so it is hard to stop the ball. It is going to be a test if you miss the ball on the short side to try and get up and down.

You are going to have to make some pretty good putts. The creativity around the greens, I mean, there is a lot of different shots you can play. I like the way they have set it up and the fact that you have some chipping areas, collecting areas where you can putt, bump-and-run, use a fairway wood, flop it, if you feel like it.

You have different options. I think that is what is neat about the game of golf is that you can use different clubs around the greens. Chipping is part of the game of golf. It is just a lot of tournaments where you play -- now it is lob-wedge, hack it out, try and make a putt.

At least this week we have a chance to play different shots.

Q. Michael Jordan used to say the only place he could get away for a normal vacation was a golf course. What do you do in terms of -- to get a normal-type vacation, and what measures do you take to get away from it?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I just go, simple. Make reservations and go ahead and travel to wherever I need to go or drive wherever I need to go and get there and just enjoy myself. There is no special precautions. Just show up, put the credit card out, AMEX card, and from there, pay the bill when you leave and there you go.

Q. Not to belabor history too much, but can you talk about what you are chasing? Specifically, how hard it is to win the same major back-to-back the way you are trying to here?

TIGER WOODS: Well, one, I have never done it; so, obviously it is going to be quite a test.

This week is it is going to be a long week. The golf course is set up very difficult, and this week is especially difficult because there is a different factor in it which is the weather. Obviously, it is going to be sapping a lot of energy out of you. Luckily, I think it is cooler here than it is at home, for me, being in Orlando. Being outside there, it was hot as can be yesterday. So, being here it is quite a bit cooler. Not as humid.

And this week is going to be a very difficult week, and hopefully I can manage my game well and strike the ball well enough so that I look like I am managing my game well and make a few putts, and hopefully, I can keep the trophy.

Q. When Greg Norman was in here earlier, he was talking about how much he would like to see golf become an Olympic sport. With the Olympics approaching, how do you feel about that and would you like to one day be able to compete for a gold medal?

TIGER WOODS: To be honest with you, I don't think it would be a big priority in our game, just because of the fact that we have four major championships with equal significance every single year. Most of those athletes, I mean, that is the pinnacle; it comes once every four years.

Now, if we had majors that were once every four years, you throw the Olympics in there, one of those off years, it would have quite a bit of significance. But I don't think it would be as anywhere near the pressure-packed drama that you see a lot of these track athletes, even the winter sports, what they go through just because of the fact that the duration of time between one Olympic and the next.

JULIUS MASON: Defending champion, Tiger Woods, looks forward to seeing all of you at the Champions Clinic, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.

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