Q. I know that everybody has to do it, but nonetheless, isn't a two-tee start slightly difficult, part one. And part two, how long from the time you hit your last preparatory shot was it before you teed off?
TIGER WOODS: That's one thing I told Steve, I hit a terrible tee shot off of 10. I almost hit my right foot coming down, I think. It was about 30 or 40 minutes before I hit a range ball versus the tee shot on 10. I think that was the most difficult thing about that, you had to get -- somehow get some kind of rhythm, loosen up somehow. And not exactly an easy start, 10, 11, 12. You've got to get your rhythm quick. I hit a -- I had just a nice situation with a nice 5-iron right-to-left wind, hit a high cut and move on from there. And I got in my rhythm pretty quick. But I think that's the most difficult thing, that you have to allow so much time to get out there to 10, that your natural rhythm is a little thrown off, especially in a major championship, because you're not used to going off 10.
Q. What would the normal time be from hitting your last practice shot to teeing off?
TIGER WOODS: Probably no more than 10 or 15 minutes.
Q. Was 10, 11, 12 as demanding a start as you've ever had?
TIGER WOODS: Without a doubt. I don't think I've ever played as difficult start as that. First hole you've got is 490 right out of the block. And the fairway, for some reason, looks a little smaller when that's the first tee shot of the day.
12 was playing a little easier today because it was downwind. It was down right-to-left.
Q. The tee shot, how far was that?
TIGER WOODS: I have no idea how far. All I know is I hit a little 6-iron in there.
Q. We all know it's a marathon, could you talk about how you personally feel about 3-under, a chance to get a good night's sleep and the chance to go right back out?
TIGER WOODS: Hopefully, I can maintain the rhythm and the pace of how I played today and hopefully carry over tomorrow. This is certainly a difficult championship and you have to stay as patient as possible. And I think the key for tonight is to go out and getting home as soon as I can, getting some good rest, and come out tomorrow and hopefully be prepared for the round.
Q. (Inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: What holes did I hit 3-wood off the tee? I hit 3-wood off 11 and I was going to hit one off of 7. That's it.
Q. There's been a number of players today that have said they wouldn't be surprised as the greens firmed up but if the wind kicked a bit the final score could be over par here. Based on your practice rounds and today, as well as you did play, are the scores that you see out here kind of what you expected and how do you expect things to go as the weekend approaches?
TIGER WOODS: If we would have got the conditions that we had in the practice rounds, where there was no rain, the greens weren't soft, and the wind -- and the wind never blew. Even par would have -- par would have kicked it in. But that's not the case. The greens are going to get softer, we're supposed to get rain tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. And if that's the case, if they drive the ball well, they can be aggressive then.
Q. People wondered whether this course was going to hold up; there was speculation there would be low scores, some said it would be very high. Do you think the course held up?
TIGER WOODS: Well, the way the USGA set up this golf course, I think the widest fairway, I was told, was 28 yards, and most of them are narrower than that. When you play a golf course that's 7200 plus par-70, and you don't have wide fairways and you have rough where you can't advance it to the green, that will tend to make the scores a little higher. I don't know why people were saying there would be three or four guys at 10-under par or better. That's what I was told before I got here. That's not going to be the case.
Q. Considering the putting stats had you, I think, tied 81 on Tour this year, is this the best you've putted all year. And there was a scene in between 14 and 15 where you went to the rest room and there was a raucous reaction, did you have any kind of reaction to that crazy scene out there?
TIGER WOODS: Putting one, I think the only time I've putted better than this was at Augusta. I really putted well there. I didn't have a 3-putt until the fifth hole on Sunday, and I was, what, 70, 80 feet, or whatever it was. So I really putted well there.
As far as 14, 15, it was so loud coming out of there that I made -- everybody knows me, that I'm kind of -- I make smart comments every once in a while, and I made one there. And they couldn't hear me, obviously, because they were yelling so loud, I said, "Are you guys clapping because I'm potty trained?" (Laughter.) I made it this far, you think I'd know how to go.
Q. I have no idea how to follow that up. The first round in your Open seems to be the momentum setter for how you do. The other two times you broke par, you finished first and third. Is that a matter of confidence, momentum, the fact that you don't have to try to go out and make up ground on a golf course that typically isn't set up to yield anything but maybe pars at best, combination of all of the above?
TIGER WOODS: I think it's none of the above. I think I just played well. And it's always nice to play well the first round, because then it's easier to keep the momentum going, rather than playing poorly, and somehow having to go find it on the range, put it together, and somehow go and compete -- shoot some good numbers from then on. The years that I have shot under par, I've really played well. And I was able to continue that for the rest of the event.
Q. (Inaudible.)
1-putt greens: No. 1, I made a putt for par from about 10 feet.
I made a putt for birdie on 2 from about 10 feet.
7, I made about a 12-footer for par.
9, I made about a 15-footer for birdie.
13, I made about an 18-footer for birdie.
14, I made about a 15-footer for birdie.
17, I made about an 8-footer for par, and 18, I made about a 20-footer for birdie.
RAND JERRIS: Thanks very much for your time. Wish you luck.
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