THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

May 24, 2002

Tiger Woods

Q. The look at 18 after the birdie putt dropped, it looked like a fly-away. Were you just not getting the breaks today?

TIGER WOODS: No, no, I was just wondering what I did wrong. I finally made a putt. I thought I did something wrong. It was just one of those days where I hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in and then I hit atrocious putts as well. It was so frustrating.

Q. Enough to bring you back, do you think? Is it going to be tough to get to the weekend?

TIGER WOODS: We will see. I'm only eight back. That you can make that up. The golf course is soft right now and we got some rain coming in. So it might be possible.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Well, it's been, when you're above the hole like that you really can't be too greedy. I wasn't. And then a couple times I hit a bad putt or lost my concentration or whatever it might have been. I just ran the putts by the hole.

Q. Are you planning on playing next week?

TIGER WOODS: Am I planning to play? No, I'm not.

Q. You're just too tired?

TIGER WOODS: I don't feel that I can play Kemper and get ready for the Open at the same time. I don't have enough energy for that.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I don't know yet. I don't know.

Q. What's the number on the weekend that you need to go out and do?

TIGER WOODS: I need to shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow and see where I stand. The guys are, the scores aren't really going that low today, which I was kind of surprised of. Because I played with Maruyama today, he didn't play great, he played good and he shot 66. I mean he could have shot 63 or 62. No problem. But I think everyone is finding it a little difficult out there to try and gauge this wind and where it's coming from.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Yeah. Yeah. It's unbelievable the difference. Coming in the last four or five holes yesterday, they were really slow. And then today, I started off by running a few putts by. One went by six feet. That got my attention pretty quick.

Q. The way you feel and the way you're playing, you've mentioned mid-60s, is that very realistic for tomorrow?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, certainly. If I would have just made a few putts today, I could have been there. I didn't really hit the ball that great but I hit it good enough to where I had legitimate birdie putts and I just didn't make anything.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I have not taken two weeks off before this year's Masters and three weeks off before the PGA in '99.

Q. Preparation-wise, does that affect you?

TIGER WOODS: No.

Q. Tiger did you play a lot better today than yesterday?

TIGER WOODS: No, not at all. It's always easier to come in this way, I think. I think it's easier when you have a schedule. I got a good schedule and so it's no problem at all.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I hit it so flush, it was almost an accident to hit it like that. I hit it right through the wind. And then I ended up in a spot where I was just happy to keep the ball on the green.

Q. Was it a 3-iron?

TIGER WOODS: 3-iron, yeah. I had 220 to the hole.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: No doubt about it. Not only adjustments from Germany to here but also from yesterday to today. They're about two feet faster today.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I will go out there and take a look at it. I think right now I just want to get myself in contention this weekend and give it a run. And then after this tournament, I'll go home and I have a little Monday outing for American Express up in Toronto. And after that I will go home and just relax and get ready.

Q. A couple of the other guys said I just shouldn't ask you this: You haven't won at par-70s at the Majors. Any explanation for that at all? Is that just a statistical fluke?

TIGER WOODS: I don't know, it's just one of those things. Just haven't won one yet. Hopefully I will. Hopefully I'll do it this year. Par 71, I did all right at Pebble doing that.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I wish it was that simple; just go out and win the tournament. You got to play well. And unfortunately those weeks either I played poorly and didn't have a chance and I just didn't put it all together.

Q. Did you feel any of the jetlag yesterday?

TIGER WOODS: I feel fine.

Q. Did it slow you down at all?

TIGER WOODS: Not at all.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: No. You always want to see it, if you need to make up ground, you want to see it hard and fast and difficult. Because then it's, if you go out and play a good, solid round, it's a lot easier to make up some ground. Now it's soft and if it's benign like it is right now, then all the guys will be going low tomorrow.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: You still might be able to. It's just one of those things where I felt, if I could have just gotten it under- par, I would be okay.

Q. After yesterday, Tiger, did you go somewhere yesterday and hit balls, or did you work on any part of your game, or did you just go home and try to put it behind you?

TIGER WOODS: I was, I was not exactly pleased. And I just went home and just tried to cool off and get it out my system. Because it's just one of those -- I made a poor decision at 18. Hit the wrong club on the second shot and then I compounded the problem on the green. But it's just one of those things where I didn't feel like it was best to go out and hit balls and beat my mind up anymore than I already was at the time.

Q. Does Steve ever have a weird look on his face when you hop into a car that mad and he's riding shotgun?

TIGER WOODS: No, he's been there before and he'll be there again.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: It's very sad. We all loved Sam and he was just a great ambassador of the game, of our game. We're going to miss him, I'm going to miss him particularly at Augusta. Because it's always neat because we all look forward to him telling the stories he was going to tell, the joke he was going to tell at the champion's dinner each and every year. And he always had a good one for you.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I would much rather have it hard and fast. Because then if I'm hitting the ball well enough, like I feel I am, then I can control my shots in there. And when it's hard and fast like that, if you shoot a good solid round you're going to move up a lot more places than when it's soft.

Q. What do you feel the problem is?

TIGER WOODS: It's just my speed was just a little off. I'm having a hard time getting the speed right. The change from last week to this week and from yesterday to today. It was a little tough.

Q. Did you see any time that you thought you were going to get it going out there?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I don't know.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: Like I said, what did I do wrong on 18? I finally made a putt. It's just one of those things where I felt like I was so close to getting it going. It just never, I never, never made that putt, or string of putts to get me in any kind of mo on my side.

Q. The four-peat is still doable?

TIGER WOODS: If I play well. I'm going to need to get myself up there where I have a chance on Sunday.

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