Press conference - Tiger Woods

JULIUS MASON: Tiger Woods with us, with a first round of 66 at the 82nd PGA Championship.

Tiger, a few comments about your round, and then we will go to Q&A.

TIGER WOODS: Today was it was a good day. I played well. At one point, I drove the ball in the fairway, which enabled me to place my iron shots at the right location on the greens, and from there, I made a few putts and was able to make a little string there from 7 to 10 and made two up-and-downs on 17 and 18 even, though the chip shot on 18-- I am sorry, on 17, wasn't very good. But made a good putt there and enabled me to keep the momentum going at 18, and made a good up-and-down there for a 66.

JULIUS MASON: Questions, first.

Q. Everybody thinks they can get more of a round -- or, you know, they left some shots out there, but Jack was in here saying that he once watched a guy shoot 66 that could have shot 60. Did you feel the same way? Did you leave that many shots out there?

TIGER WOODS: I don't know if I left that many, but I definitely left a few out there. But then again, I also made some good putts for par. Like the one on 17.

So obviously it is a give-and-take, because any time you can shoot 66 in a major championship, you are going to be pretty happy.

Q. I was wondering, when you hit that putt on 17, with your birdies and everything else, was that your best putt of the day?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, because it was a little double-breaker, and to be able to hit a putt like that, and knowing that it does feed back to the left, even though you got that hard slope from left to right, both stepping up that, committed to the putt and roll it that well - when I hit it, I said, "Well, I got the perfect line." It's just a matter of do I have the right speed or not. And it fell right in the middle, so was pretty stoked about that.

Tiger Woods lines up a putt at the 13th on his way to a first round of 66. Allsport.

Q. Jack talked about what it was like to play with you, then also a little bit about what it was like when he played with Gene Sarazen at the PGA when Sarazen was about 60. What was it like playing with him today?

TIGER WOODS: It was an honor to play with Jack. We have played together in practice rounds before. Never played in competition. And you can -- you can tell that his mind really wasn't there initially. Well, for a great reason, too. It was sad what happened yesterday, and you can tell he really wasn't into the round. Got off to a terrible start.

But once he got into the rhythm of playing, you can tell his mind started getting more and more sharp and started concentrating more on each and every shot. You can tell he was more into it and then once he got more into it he started playing better.

Q. I know that one of the conversations you had with Jack was coming up 7, up to your balls, he seemed -- couldn't tell if he was pointing out the design features of the hole or whatever. It was -- seemed to be one of your more extended conversations. What was that?

TIGER WOODS: He was telling me about the difference in his new driver that he has, because it's got -- heel leads a little bit more, just like a wooden driver, which means that -- he said he played all of his life off the heel of the club, and middle and toward the heel which meant that he would always cut, but with a metal wood, any time you hit the ball on the heel, it doesn't cut. It's just the way the metal woods are designed: Bigger the heads, the more the weight gets up higher on the toe.

He said he was struggling with that. Finally got a head where he can cut, and that shot he hit on No. 7, he said that is a perfect example. Hit it a little off the neck; it actually hit it flew the way he wanted to see it fly. So, that is the extent of it.

Q. Outside you were talking about how much you respect Jack's ability to grind. When he was up on in the rocks on 17? What are you thinking? Are you figuring he is going to get it close? Did you have any thoughts at all about the way to get up and down in that situation?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I couldn't see the lie. So it looked like he had a terrible lie from where I was standing, which meant if he could just get it anywhere near the green, it would have been a good shot. If he can land it -- even land it on the green, but the way the club went underneath the ball, looked like he had a pretty good lie. And you just knew he was going to bury the putt, though.

Q. Real early in your career at the TOUR Championship, you were faced with one of those should-I-play-or-should-I-not-play decisions, because after personal matter. How difficult is that and is the inclination to look at the importance of the event then what the family wants you or advises you to do?

TIGER WOODS: Well, when I went through that with my father in 1996. I spent all night at the hospital with him and didn't sleep. I slept sitting in a chair for a couple of hours and had to go play.

But I asked my dad, you Know, "I want to be here with you."

He says, "No, get your butt out there so I can watch you on TV. At least I have something to look forward to, because I have got tubes and stuff all stuck in me."

So that is one of the reasons why I went out there. It was tough. I think I shot like 9-over par on the front, whatever it was, 8- or 9-over. It was just a tough, tough round for me to play.

With what Jack went through yesterday, it was -- that is a tough thing to go through. I have never gone through -- I have never lost a parent. I have come close, but I have never lost one, and I don't know how that feels. I know that coming out here today, his mind obviously wasn't there, and nor should it have been.

Q. You had said earlier in the week that you were working on trying to reshape your ball flight to, get it a little higher after coming off Scotland; that was why you had played -- one of the reasons you played in Michigan. Looked like you accomplished that goal. You hit a lot of high irons today. Do you feel that you have reached the point now where you are back into it?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, basically I have gotten back into my old swing plane that I have used for the past couple of years, but when you play over there over in Scotland you always kind of chipping it, putting it down on the ground, rolling it, and yardages are thrown out the window. You have 243. You are thinking: "Should I hit 5- or 4-iron." You don't think like that here.

So you had to get your mindset back on hitting the ball in the air to a precise number. Last week was a great preparation for that, because obviously, I didn't have it. I wasn't really quite back. I was still kind of hitting the bunkers when I was trying to hit the ball in the air. I worked on it pretty good last week, and each day, I progressively got better, and even today on the range I started hitting shots the way that I am used to seeing them go up there in the air.

Q. Obviously, people have looked that the pairing for some time. How do you sum up what you gained out of the experience of playing in this pairing today?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think it is too close for me to reflect on that, like that. To be honest with you, Scott, I just want to still focus on the tournament and get myself in there, in contention, where I have a chance to win come Sunday afternoon on the back nine; that is what I am trying to do.

Obviously, I know it is special to be able to play with Jack, and possibly his last major, or even last PGA. Obviously, that's quite an honor if it does happen. It's quite an honor just to play with him in a major championship.

As far as significance for me, I really don't know yet. After the tournament is over, I will probably have a chance to reflect on it. I am sure I will have a different answer for you.

Q. Jack's execution isn't obviously what it used to be, but when you play with him, are there any times where you as the world's best player look at what he is at least trying to do, and think to yourself, "I can see why this guy was so great"?

TIGER WOODS: You know where, you can see where he is lined up, basically you know where he is trying to play the shot; where he is looking in the air, and kind of getting a feel, the club he pulls; what kind of shot he wants to play; where he wants to play it.

He asked me a couple of times today what I was trying to do, which most people don't do that. I was thought that was kind of interesting because he and I -- I feel like I have an understanding of how he plays. I kind of play the same way he used to.

For instance, on No. 8 today I hit a 9-iron. He hit a 6-iron, and it was kind of funny, because he asked me: "You are trying to play short of the swell?"

I said, "Yeah, I was trying to put it over here, but I got away with it and hit it at the flag," and it not being on the green, made birdie.

But it was kind of interesting to hear him say, "You were trying to play short of the swell." Most people were thinking he is trying to hit the ball up there. You could tell he is used to being specific on his shots.

Q. You played with somebody you have always wanted to play with today. Living or dead, if you could plug two more players in the group, who would the two players be and why would you choose those two players?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think if I had to play in a tournament round, in competition, it probably would be Hogan and probably Bobby Jones.

But if I had to play my final round, I would play with my dad.

Q. How distracting are the crowds that chase you around? And how do you relax after a round like this when you are so famous, you can't get away from everybody?

TIGER WOODS: I think today was a great day for me. Everybody was yelling out "Jack," not me. So I just kind of just kind of walked around, everybody is yelling at Jack; he is kind of doing this, that, (waving). I kind of walked up to my ball; marked it; gave it to Stevie; lined up my putt; played it, or missed it; went to the next tee. "Jack, Jack, Jack, look over here, Jack." I kind of -- no one saw me. It was kind of nice. Shot 66.

Q. How do you relax?

TIGER WOODS: Well, today I am just going to go out, hit some balls, kind of unwind a little bit, and probably go for a nice little workout this afternoon and get ready for tomorrow.

Q. Back to Jack again. Growing up, as you have said, sort of idolizing, using Jack as a benchmark, is there any part of you that walked up to the 1st tee today and said, "I want to show this guy what I got"?

TIGER WOODS: I never looked at it that way. I am just trying to get to off the first tee in the fairway, and from there trying too obviously hit some good shots and get myself started in the right direction.

When I shook Jack's hand, to be honest with you, I am getting ready for a round in a major championship. So even though it is special to play with Jack, when I am on that first tee, I could care less who I am playing with, just from the standpoint I am trying to get ready to try and put myself in position to win a major championship.

Q. Obviously, everyone talks about the driving ability that you need on this course. What holes did you use driver on today?

TIGER WOODS: Hit driver on 5 and 7, 9, 10, 17. That is it.

Q. Along those lines, could you give us a quick shot-by-shot with clubs an distances?

TIGER WOODS: On which ones?

Q. All of them, if you could.

TIGER WOODS: All 18? I will just go birdies and bogeys. How about that? I birdied 2. Hit 3-wood in the left rough. Hit a 7-iron into the left bunker. Blasted out to about eight feet. Made it.

Bogeyed 5, hit the driver right, hit a sand wedge into the right bunker. Blasted long and missed about a 20-footer.

7, hit a driver off the tee, a 7-iron to about 30 feet and 2-putted.

And No. 8, I hit a 9-iron up there to about twelve feet and made that.

Number 9, I hit a driver and a pitching wedge to about twelve feet, made that.

10, hit a driver and a 4-iron over the green. Chipped up from behind the green to about three feet, made that.

12, I hit a 3-wood off the tee, a 6-iron just behind the hole about twelve feet again and made that.

And 18, hit a 3-wood off the tee and hit a 7-iron into the bunker. Blasted out to about three feet.

Q. At Pebble, you talked about the specialness of wanting to win the Open Championship at St. Andrew's being a home of golf. Does Hogan's record of winning three majors the same year have the same sort of historical importance or motivation for you coming into this week?

TIGER WOODS: You know, the funny thing about that is I have really haven't thought about it. I haven't looked at it that way. I have looked at the fact that I am trying to win a PGA Championship and win a major. Where the chips may fall after that, let them fall. Obviously it is very -- it was very special when he won at Pebble Beach and St. Andrew's and completing the Grand Slam, but when I won at St. Andrews I never really thought about completing the Slam. I was trying to win the British Open. People think that was kind of weird to look at it that way and strange when you look at it that way, but that is the only way you can look at it, is look at the fact that you can either take care of business here first; and then it was completing the Slam. That is merely a by-product of winning.

This week, if I accomplish my goal, which is winning a PGA. Championship, I will obviously tie Hogan with three majors in a year. That is kind of how I am trying to approach it.

Q. When you wake up on the first morning of a major, do you feel calm, nervous, excited? What sort of emotions do you feel?

TIGER WOODS: Usually hungry.

Q. And then?

TIGER WOODS: Mostly just pretty relaxed. I am never really uptight. I am just really hungry in the morning. Eat some breakfast -- or as you would say breaky and ready to go.

Q. Because of your youthfulness and your ability to drive the ball and get out of trouble, let me ask you this: Do you as a rule bring a new part of your game from tournament to tournament, and will we not see that and the other players don't see that?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think each tournament you've got to analyze the golf course and see what you need to use and how you want to shape your shots, what kind of trajectory you want, what clubs you are going to put in the bag. That is basically how I play.

And some tournaments, people say "you got a new swing" or "got a new shot," and it is not really new. It is just that I haven't been able to use it on the right golf course. That is about it.

Q. Sitting here at the PGA, after the first round you are tied for the lead. You have won two majors. Ever think about that gust of wind on the 12th at Augusta?

TIGER WOODS: I think it started before that. Made double over on 10. So, who knows.

Q. Do you think about it?

TIGER WOODS: To be honest with you, no. Just because even though I have put myself with a chance to win, I did get pretty fortunate on Saturday, to be able to go out before the bad weather came in, posted a good number, and then watched those guys come back to me.

But if I had played better, I might have been out there in those conditions, and I don't know how well I would have played because I really wasn't playing that great.

JULIUS MASON: Tiger Woods, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much.

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