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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP


June 16, 2012


Tiger Woods


SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Q.  Frustrating day?
TIGER WOODS:  Yeah, it was.  I struggled on the greens today, quite a bit.  They looked quick, but they putted slow.  But they were firmer than they were yesterday.  So it was a tough tough feel for me to adjust to and it was amazing how all day I kept getting a half club.  Just one of those days where I was right in between clubs on about every single shot.  Just never quite had the right number.

Q.  You made bogey on 16, the tee shot, and what was your situation there?
TIGER WOODS:  Well I lost the tee shot to the right and I just caught the limb coming out, I was trying to play down to the bottom there, but just caught the limb coming out and had a 4‑iron in there and I lofted it pretty high up in the air, but I left it on the wrong side.  I had to miss it left.
You put it in the left gallery you got a shot.  When you put it where I put it you just don't have a shot.  And I played a pretty good bunker shot to give myself a 15‑footer and missed it.

Q.  You've been driving it well all week and leading the field in fairways, was it that much of a struggle today?
TIGER WOODS:  It wasn't by much.  I was just missing by just a few yards and that was enough.
Probably about three fairways I missed just probably about three or four yards.  And then that makes a big difference.

Q.  Tomorrow?
TIGER WOODS:  Tomorrow I'm just going to have to shoot a good round tomorrow, and post early and see what happens.

Q.  How would you rate the quality of your warm‑up today and how do you make the decision whether to see Sean or not before a round?
TIGER WOODS:  My warm‑up was good.  Sean and I, we don't work before rounds, we work after rounds.  And it was just about warming up and going out and playing.

Q.  Looks like there's going to be a million guys within about three shots, you're not too far back, there's going to be a lot of guys with a lot of Majors in there, could be some fireworks I would think.
TIGER WOODS:  Well there's going to be a bunch of guys there with a chance, but it all depends on what they do with the golf course tomorrow.  They obviously made a few changes today, they watered the greens, and they gave us a few really difficult pins out there, but also a few very accessible pins as well.  You got to take advantage of those when you have them.

Q.  Talk about playing with Jim.
TIGER WOODS:  Absolutely.  He's a great guy, good friend of mine, and he's just been one heck of a competitor.  He's made ‑‑ well we have been on every team together since '97.  He hasn't missed a team since '97.

Q.  On 18 it looked like you got a bad kick on your approach.
TIGER WOODS:  I can't see from down there.  I just had a brutal lie.  It was either a take a full swing at that thing or just try and play some kind of ‑‑ if it comes out flubbing a little bit then I'm going to be where I'm at.  If it comes out hot, then I'm just barely going to carry it on to the fringe.  It was just a nasty lie.  I just tried to do the best I could just to give myself anywhere inside 15 feet for a putt.

Q.  How do you expect them to setup the golf course tomorrow?
TIGER WOODS:  I think it will be just as quick, I think they like it just the way it was.  You saw that some of the guys went out early and shot some good scores, they had a little bit more moisture on the greens and it dried out certainly in the last few groups.  No one really shot good numbers on the back.  So maybe I can be one of those guys that goes out there and posts a round early.

Q.  You were four back at Memorial and you pulled that one out.  Can you summon the fire power tomorrow and do it again?
TIGER WOODS:  It's just patience.  It's just a few birdies here and there.  It's not like where you have to go out there and shoot 62 and 63.  This is a U.S. Open.  You just need to hang around.  First you need to get off to a good start.  Get through the first six.  Because anything can happen at the last three holes.
I think that tomorrow they will probably move it up on 16 so that some of the longer hitters can at least get in the front bunkers.
And then it will be interesting to see where they put the pin on 17.  Whether they put it over on the right or not.

Q.  Being in the position you're in coming in, you've not shot yourself out of it.  Yes, it's a frustrating round, but do you feel like, hey, I'm still right there?
TIGER WOODS:  I'm definitely still in the ball game.  I'm only five back and that's certainly doable on this golf course for sure.

Q.  When you play with a guy like Jim who is a friend and teammate that you have respect for and then you're thrust into sort of a match play situation.  What's that like?
TIGER WOODS:  First it's not match play.  We're just playing for position going into Sunday and we got a lot of holes to go.  This is just a stroke play event and just methodically going about our business.  He and I didn't really conversate very much and that's normally how we are when we play.  And we just played our own games.

Q.  You talked yesterday about staying patient and present.  Was it the first six holes that, maybe did it get you off that game?
TIGER WOODS:  No, I was still doing the same thing.  I just didn't make the pars.  I kept leaving myself in tough spots.  I didn't really have that many birdie putts today and they were all lag putting.  That or these breaking putts.  I didn't have very many good looks.
It's just frustrating when I know I can put myself in position to have a few good looks, at least a few more, and I got to bury those.  And I probably only had a couple of them all day.

Q.  How is your confidence level?
TIGER WOODS:  Feels good.  I wasn't very far off today.  But on a golf course like this, it can do that to you.

Q.  What are you going to work on tonight or tomorrow morning before the round?
TIGER WOODS:  I'm going to go out there and hit a few putts and try and hit the putts harder.  Try and maybe put a little more hinge in it going back, just something with more hit, because I just am leaving those putts short and they're dying at the lip.  I need a little more hit in it.

Q.  Different course today?  Did it feel a lot different out there?
TIGER WOODS:  Last three holes didn't feel a lot different.  The greens felt springy.  They were definitely dried out on the back nine.
But the green speeds were surprisingly slow.  That's something Jim and I talked about today when we were playing.  It was surprising that they were not as quick as they looked.  Because they're certainly more springy than they were yesterday.

Q.  When you came off 18 did you hurt your wrist at all?
TIGER WOODS:  I'm fine.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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