Tiger’s Farmers Insurance Open press conference: Wed.
MARK STEVENS: I would like to introduce our defending champion, Tiger Woods, to the Farmers Insurance Open. Tiger, you just got done with your pro-am. Do you want to talk about the course and then we’ll have a few questions?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah. The golf course is — it’s closer to an Open than how we normally play it. The greens are — I haven’t seen them this firm I think maybe since obviously the Open, but the first year they probably did it — the first year we played with the redo, the year that Ollie beat Mark. But it’s hard to imagine watching wedges and 9-irons and some of the short irons, balls bounce up as high as the top of the flagstick but that’s what was happening out here this morning. If they keep the golf course like this it’s going to be one hell of a test as the week progresses. It’s going to get really difficult to post some good numbers, it’s going to be awful difficult to get the ball close and make birdies, and as I said, it’s closer to an Open right now than how I normally see it.
Q: Is that good or bad, Tiger, the conditions?
TIGER WOODS: I find it good.
Q: So you feel like it’s set up well for how you’re hitting it right now?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I’m hitting it well. I have the option now as my swing has evolved working with Sean that I can start elevating it again, which is nice. Probably going to need it a little bit this week. We’re going to have to start setting some balls up, but it’s important to get the ball in the fairway. You’ve got to get the ball in the fairway here. The rough is thick. It’s a little bit more lush than we’ve seen it with these greens conditions. We’ve seen it like this when it’s wet but not when it’s like this. This is very similar to an Open.
Q: They tried to take the trophy away from you, send it home I think last year, send it to you later. You said no, I promised Sam. Could you tell that story how that came about and what was Sam’s reaction when you got home?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I have these awards downstairs and she’s inquisitive about what it was and I told her daddy was Player of the Year, that’s what that is, voted by the guys I played against and they said you had the best year of anybody out on TOUR.
You know, blah blah blah, that’s a totally different story than the one I should be telling you right now. We’ll transition to that one instead.
Playing here, I’ve won this tournament enough times and because it has that tree thing, the pine that I guess is indigenous to this area, she thought it was really cool because it looked like, what do you call that in the “Karate Kid”, the small little —
Q: Bonsai tree?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah. She’s seen that, she thought that’s what it was. I said no, they’re a little bit bigger than that. Obviously I had to go online and show her the pictures and everything. I had all these trophies lined up and she said, You need to get one of those. I said, It’s not as easy as I need to get one of those. I have to go out there and earn it. She said, Okay, go do it. Yes, ma’am. I got it, won the trophy, brought it home and they got a chance to just dance around it. They put it literally in the middle of the living room, everybody was dancing around the trophy.
Q: A lot of people have said this is a big year for you because of the majors and it’s been a while since you won one and this looks like some good venues. Do you see that as well, or do you have the view that they’ll be next year?
TIGER WOODS: I view it as every year’s a big year. Every year that I get a chance to compete and play in tournaments and major championships for as long as I decide to do it, every year’s a big year, every year counts.
You know, looking back from the beginning of my career to now, I know that I don’t have 20 years in my prime. I’m 38, I don’t see being 58 and being in my prime. Most guys don’t jump from the foul line at age 58, so it’s a little different but the outlook is still the same. I still prepare the same, I still work my tail off to be ready to compete at this level and beat everyone that I’m playing against.
Q: Just as a follow up, everyone says you should have won 18, you should win 18. You’ve won 14 majors. If your career ended and you didn’t win another major, would you look at it as a disappointment or would you look at it as I won 14 majors?
TIGER WOODS: I don’t know because I’m not done with my career. That’s a question that’s hypothetical, so I don’t know how you want me to go with that. All I know is that I’m still in I feel my peak years, I’m still playing well. There have been a number of guys who have gone on even in their early 40s to win major championships. Mark did it, he’s the oldest one to do it, to win multiples in the same year. Jack won in his 40s, Hogan won multiples in his 40s, actually 38 and above. I feel like I’ve got a number of years ahead of me and I’m really looking forward to that.
Q: Tiger, everybody talks about the four you need to tie Jack. Do you think that overshadows too much the three you need to tie Sam, and what would it mean to get to 83?
TIGER WOODS: Does it overshadow? I think it does, yeah. Everyone wants to talk about the majors you’ve won, just like for instance everyone wants to talk how many Slams that Fed has won. People don’t realize how many tournaments you’ve won or whether it’s Fed or Jimmy Connors who won the most events, that’s something that gets overlooked as consistency over a long period of time. Sam won into his 50s and won on the TOUR. To be able to do it for virtually 30 years, that’s unbelievable to have a playing career that long. For me to do it in so far under 20 years is something I’m proud of.
Q: Tiger, you’ve made a point in your career to go ahead to the major venues before the actual week of the tournament to do a scouting report and a lot of players now follow suit. I’m wondering when you do that, considering how much the courses change in terms of condition, how much of that is just getting some basic stuff done without the tournament hoopla and how much do you really get out of scouting the golf course when it’s so different?
TIGER WOODS: Depends on how close you get to go before the tournament time. If it’s a week out or a couple weeks out, sometimes it can be very similar if not exactly the same. Other times I’ve actually been there where it’s actually harder than it would be than during a tournament because they’ve let the rough grow as high as they’re going to let it and they’re going to chop it and level it out.
For me more than anything it’s getting sightlines and understanding where I need to position my golf ball throughout the week, certain holes that I should be aggressive, certain holes I should be patient and passive, what my strategy is probably going to involve and what it’s got to be, what clubs am I going to use, am I going to use a 2-iron or am I going to use a 5-wood that week, what kind of bounce will I need on my 60, how hard the bunkers are going to be. Playing at the British Open is totally different sand than we play over here, it’s like playing off the beach, so it’s a totally different — I think it’s a different technique and club selection you might need and a lot of guys feel the same. To me going there is mainly for sightlines and comfort and understanding where my practice sessions need to be and also start to develop a game plan on what clubs I’m going to use for the week.
Q: Two-part question. When Lindsey had to withdraw from Sochi if at all, did that change your tournament schedule, and watching her go through what she is, how much do you feel like you’re seeing yourself in ’05, ’06?
TIGER WOODS: As far as my tournament schedule, that’s a very good question and I can see where you’re going with it.
As far as seeing what she’s gone through, I’ve been through it only a slightly different version. I’ve never had to do it twice like this, and to do a total reconstruction of the ACL and be able — you have to be forced to shut down for such long periods of time. I’ve had knee surgeries through the years but only had to shut it down for periods of a couple months or a month, whatever it is, and I can be back. But to do it again in successive years, that’s tough. I only had to do it once like that. I’ve had other minor injuries throughout my playing career but nothing major, only one major one. I sat out for nine months I believe almost to the day before I played again.
Q: (No microphone.)
TIGER WOODS: Well, I think that even though she’s not competing in this year’s Games, the fact that she already has a gold medal and no one can ever take that away from her, and to be the first one to ever win in the downhill, that’s something no one can ever take away. Whether she competes this year or whether she competes four years from now, to be the first, no one can ever take that away from her. What was the second part of the question? Oh, okay.
Q: (No microphone.)
TIGER WOODS: You know, the thing is I’m still able to generate the same amount of clubhead speed as I did when I was younger, it’s just that I can’t do it every shot anymore. You know, it’s a little bit different. I don’t have the rotational speed that I used to and that’s a fact of aging. I am infinitely stronger than I ever used to be and more explosive in a lot of exercises that I do, but I just can’t rotate like I used to and that’s just the way it is.
But I’ve made up for it in other areas, which obviously the strength that you see, my body looks very different than it was when I first came out on TOUR, and then understanding how to manage myself around a golf course, how to attack a golf course, how to pick it apart and dissect it. That’s something that has happened over time. And when you look at MJ when he first came out, he was able to dunk over everybody, but he got beat up by the Pistons three straight playoffs, he was out and next thing you know he built up his body and developed a fadeaway. So you do it a different way. You’re still able to be successful, but you do it a different way. You evolve as you age and I think I’ve done that so far.
Q: Does it depend on the tournament (inaudible.)
TIGER WOODS: Some tournaments I’m still able to crank it out there and bomb it out there and we’re able to go ahead and be aggressive that way or we’re forced to be aggressive that way, and other tournaments will dink and dunk you and play small ball because that’s what the golf course has forced you to do and I don’t go outside that. I think that’s where being a little bit younger, I didn’t really understand that sometimes and I wasn’t always as patient as I am now.
Q: Tiger, after the five wins last year I’m sure you sometimes heard chatter charity that he would trade his season with so-and-so because you didn’t win a major and somebody else did. Curious, how do you react to that and somehow that the five wins, winning five times a year is somewhat taken for granted, and is it fair that it seems like the focus is so much on just the majors for you now?
TIGER WOODS: Well, it’s understandable I think that people look at winning five times as, you know, it’s easy to do probably because I’ve done it whatever it is, nine, 10 times, whatever it was. I’ve played at a high level for a very long time but it’s not easy to do. We as players understand it, but I think if you’re not out here competing all the time, you perceive it differently than I think we do. I think that’s what you’re kind of alluding to and I think that’s where — one of the reasons why I think that’s why the Player of the Year award is so coveted because it’s respect from your fellow peers and we as players totally understand that.
Q: Tiger, you have an opportunity here to win at Torrey Pines nine times, a PGA TOUR record. What would that mean to you to be able to do that here at Torrey Pines?
TIGER WOODS: That would be — can we just say I already have nine wins because I kind of won Junior World here? Yeah, that was a long time ago. Almost won it when I was 17 but Pat Perez got me. And trust me, (inaudible) time for it.
But no, it’s fantastic to be able to have had the success that I’ve had on this golf course. And for me I think not just not playing here and the TOUR event but also putting a stamp on it with a U.S. Open win, that was a very special week, especially considering the circumstances, the things that I had to kind of go through to get to that point. But to have won regular TOUR events but also have a stamp on it and to be able to have won a major, we don’t get a chance to do that very often where we go back to the same venue where we play year in and year out. We did it at Pebble Beach, we have an event there every year and actually have a U.S. Open there. Used to be the old World Series of Golf in Akron and Jack won the PGA there. There are certain venues we play every year that every once in a while in a blue moon that you go back to in a major championship, and if you’re able to get it, I think for me the satisfaction is at times very overwhelming.
Q: Tiger, can you maybe walk us through obviously a very short off season, sort of how you spent it? And then secondly, how you sort of manage that, another year older, obviously (inaudible)?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I didn’t do much. I put away the clubs prior — I took basically two breaks and what I did was I tried to extend my off season in that regard. So I finished — what did I play last? I think the Presidents Cup and I had some time off. I was doing some exhibitions in Asia but I took basically that break there through Thanksgiving and into my event, then played my event and after that took another break. So I got in the weeks that I may have been missing somewhere through past six years, but I tried to make sure that instead of taking one extended break, basically I broke it down into two phases. And one of the reasons I felt so fresh when I played at the World Challenge this year and I think one of the reasons why I’ve come out and played well at this event is because I’ve taken breaks and that’s been fresh. Yeah, so I’m excited, ready to go tomorrow. Obviously the pairing and having an opportunity to go for number nine here this week is fun.
Q: Tiger, because of the wraparound season you’re starting your season now and you’re already at 1233 FedEx Cup points behind Jimmy Walker. Is it strange?
TIGER WOODS: I haven’t wrapped my mind around it yet, the new scheduling. We’ve never done it before, this is our first go-round at it. All the sports are accustomed to putting their years together. Did this in the ’96, ’97 season. For us we’ve never done it that way. We’ve always been one of those sports that’s like baseball, it’s always that calendar year only. To do the wraparound like this was new. Obviously it’s created a lot of buzz, but it’s still new and I think it’s very similar to what it was when we started the FedEx Cup Playoffs. There may be a few tweaks, there may be a few this, that, added, subtracted over the years, but this might be the new way we’re going to do it and it certainly provides more incentive I think for players to play earlier than they normally would have. You remember back in the old days when guys like Norman and Price, they never teed it up on the PGA TOUR until we got to Doral. Everybody took breaks, never played the West Coast swing at all and showed up and those guys won the money title, Player of the Year and did it that way. This will kind of incentivize guys to play a little earlier.
MARK STEVENS: Thank you for your time, Tiger. Best of luck this week.
TIGER WOODS: Thanks.
