Tiger’s Waste Management Phoenix Open press conference: Friday

TIGER WOODS: I’m just doing this so I don’t get fined. (Laughter.) I was caught right between patterns, just old pattern, new pattern. And I got it better, more committed to what I was doing on my back 9 and hit some better shots, but still got a lot of work to do.

Q: When you made the turn, what was your goal? After you made the turn, what was your goal?

TIGER WOODS: Just keep fighting. Just keep grinding each and every shot. That’s all I can do. It was not a very good day from the very start until the end, but I fought all day.

Q: You said you would hit thousands and thousands of chips because you were between swings, but you are still obviously having chipping problems. What’s going on?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it’s the pattern. I was much deeper overall swing-wise. My attacking was much deeper with Sean. Now I’m very shallow. So that in turn affects the chipping. I’m not bottoming out in the same spot. It’s a different spot.

Q: How do you manage to laugh after a round like this?

TIGER WOODS: We all have days like this. Unfortunately, you know, mine was in a public forum, in a public setting. We all have days like this. We take the good with the bad, and the thing is even on bad days like this, just keep fighting, because, you know, on the good days you’ve got to keep fighting, as well.

Q: Do you feel like the chipping is all mental?

TIGER WOODS:It is mental to an extent because the physical pattern is different. So obviously when the physical pattern is different, the trust is not quite there. I’m not bottoming out in the same spot. Yeah, to an extent, yes, it is, but I need to physically get the club in a better spot.

Q: (Indiscernible.)

TIGER WOODS:I’m fine. That’s not an issue anymore.

Q: (Question about the back.)

TIGER WOODS: Probably late last summer.

Q: Obviously you needed more reps. How difficult is it when you try to piece all this stuff together and you have to do it in such a public forum when people are expecting you to go low?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it’s part of the process. You’ve got to get out there and do it. Hitting golf balls is one thing and playing golf at home is another. Playing tournament golf is entirely another. I have to continue with the process. I have been here before. It wasn’t that long ago that I changed my swing with Sean, and I was Player of the Year only a year ago. You’ve gotta keep things in perspective, and sometimes it’s difficult to do that.

Q: You had a lot of crowd sympathy, it seemed like. Seemed like the crowd was behind you more than Patrick or Jordan. What was that like?

TIGER WOODS: It was fantastic. You know, this was obviously a very ruckus crowd, and on days like this I’m sure libations are definitely plenty. But to have the support that we have had the last two days has been incredible, especially on a day like today when we didn’t expect people to come out and come out here to the golf course like this. They were out in droves and following us and supporting us. Yeah, they were supporting me but they were supporting both Jordan and Patrick, as well. It was pretty cool.

Q: What do you do until next Thursday?

TIGER WOODS: Practice each and every day. Just work on it.

Q: Go home and do that?

TIGER WOODS: I’m going home right now.