Tiger’s World Challenge press conference: Sunday
Q: Your last tournament of the year. Obviously you didn’t win, but can you put the year in perspective, where you’ve been from a year ago to this point?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I’ve come a long way. Last year was a very disappointing year. I was hurt for most of the year and didn’t really do much. And then to win this event last year, which spring boarded me into this year, and I won three times on TOUR, and I think once I passed the jacket on my all time winnings was a pretty neat accomplishment as well.
Q: Going into next year, what’s the best thing you have to work on, your short game.
TIGER WOODS: Well, actually, my short game has been really good from late summer on. I was hitting the ball a little better and I was spending more time chipping and putting, but now I gotta hit the ball better than I have. So I’ve got six weeks off, so will be nice to throw the clubs in the closet for a few weeks and then get back after it?
Q: What are your thoughts on this tournament overall?
TIGER WOODS: We’re very proud of what’s happened. To have this many people come out with the weather being as bad as it has been and support us and what we’re trying to do for kids is just tremendous.
Q: Tiger, Graeme was saying yesterday how he felt like (indiscernible). Pretty good scores, pretty low scores. We didn’t see that as much throughout the tournament. Why do you think that is?
TIGER WOODS: I think it’s hard to hit the ball close, just because the greens were so soft. There were a couple times out there I had 100, 105 yards and I was hitting little 9 irons in there and just kind of hit spin offs. It was tricky out there, and the guys who have lower ball flights, it’s a little bit easier. Guys whose balls are up in the air are going to have a harder time.
But overall it’s been a tough week for all of us. Just tough conditions to get the ball close. And yesterday and today it played really long. And now the Back 9 it was swirling all over the place, like it normally does. But at least it wasn’t raining?
Q: You mentioned that six week break you have coming up. This season, how much do you feel like you need that break to recharge?
TIGER WOODS: I need it. It’s been a long year and I’ve played a lot. And just really looking forward to it, just having nothing to do with golf for a few weeks, just put them away, enjoy the holidays, be with my kids and just really enjoy that. Then after that I’ll start cranking back up again and start focusing on my shots.
Q: When will you start again, not till after Christmas or after the first before you start hitting balls again, or is it just kind of if the mood strikes?
TIGER WOODS: I’m sure I’ll dick around and be a shag bag or something like that with Charlie. It’s want going to be any dedicated practice, it’s not going to be any focused practice. He may want to go out there and hit a few balls and whatever it is. And if so, I’ll hit a few balls, but as far as actually sitting out there and working on my technique and my numbers and all that stuff, that’s probably not going to happen at least until after Christmas.
