In a heated press conference ahead of the Open Championship, 15-time major champion Tiger Woods played down his chances of adding to his huge fortune and played down any talk that it might be time for the 48-year-old to hang up his clubs. and preserve his legacy
Glad to see you back here at The Open competing again. How much are you looking forward to this test at Royal Troon?
TIGER WOODS: I'm looking forward to it. I didn't play it last time I was here. We look forward to the challenges. I know they've been around here a few times and stretched out a few holes. It is a very long golf course.
A few have added bunkers here and there.
All in all, it's one of those courses where you'll get it one in nine. Either it will be windy on the way out or it will be windy when you come home.
Some of the holes will be difficult to play, while others are accessible.
You've talked before about how it's hard for you because you don't get to train as much and you have to pick your battles. What have you been able to do in the past month that has led you to believe that this week will be different than the ones that exist this year?
TIGER WOODS: I've been training a lot better. We've been blasting it hard in the gym, it's been great.
The body has always felt better to be able to do things like that, and it translates to being able to hit the ball better. I can't stay out there during a practice session as long as I like, but I can do some things that I haven't done all year, which is good.
There is always a lot of talk about your future in the game. Hypothetically, if someone ever advised you to stop, what would you say to them, and how would you explain why you keep putting yourself through the pain of playing?
TIGER WOODS: I'm going to play as long as I can and I feel like I can still win this event.
You probably heard those words last week from Colin Montgomerie who said you should retire. Do you feel that it hurts a little and you have earned the right to make a decision on your terms?
TIGER WOODS: Well, as a past champion, I don't mind until I'm 60. Colin is not.
He is not a past champion, so he is not exempt. So he doesn't get a chance to make that decision. I agree. So when I get to his age, I start making that decision, where he doesn't.
Can you maybe talk a little bit about golfing in Scotland and the challenge that links golf and the gifts of Troon.
TIGER WOODS: Well, I think whenever I get a chance to play, not just in Scotland, but in the UK in general, it's different golf.
Golf links are very different. The difficulty of the air is just different. The ball doesn't go far. He uses the ground sometimes as a partner, sometimes as a barrier. And these pot houses are not like any bunkers we see at home. They are places of punishment.
You go into it, maybe to the side or to the back or somewhere not too far away. So it is imperative that you do not enter them.
There is a way to use the world to your advantage in shooting and shaping it the right way. Check out some of the past masters who are artists to learn how to control the golf ball and use the ground.
This golf course allows you to do just that. There are a few types of forced carry that you have to send a little, but it's fine. It's wide open right now.
How do you feel about your short game and putting?
TIGER WOODS: I would like to strengthen my short game just a little bit. I had not seen anything from this factory at home. Hot Florida, Bermuda grass is no different.
I need to get some reps around this fescue and how fast my blade moves through the ground. It goes by very quickly. So I'll have to do a little work today and tomorrow and be ready on Thursday.
Can you explain maybe some of the holes that you said are kind of green light “go” holes and maybe a couple that you want to be more careful about?
TIGER WOODS: The first few holes start out pretty easy, straight forward. The 7th is one of those holes that I think you can go for if you want. You can drive it down there.
You get the right wind, you can almost drive it on the green. Coming home is no joke. You have strong images that hit home. You have to hit good shots.
But overall, I think there are some holes to be had on the par-5s – well, the two par-5s on the front. It depends on what 16 you do with the spirit.
You can find it whistling in the wind, it's a three hole or whatever. Or if the wind lies down, you can get there twice.
You just have to be careful with the fire that comes across the fairway.
Besides, you will see many guys sleeping in the same places.
There will be places from time to time where, with the right wind conditions, guys can be aggressive, especially some long hitters.
It allows that. But generally, if we get the winds we predicted, I think we'll all be playing in the same places.
Postage stamp 8 is one of the most prominent holes in the Open rota. Can you give us your insight into playing it and the challenge it presents?
TIGER WOODS: I hit a 9-iron and a pitching wedge the last two times I played it. I hit as many times as a 7 iron. But it's a very easy hole; just hit the green ball.
That's all. Green is good, miss green is bad. It doesn't get any easier than that. You don't need a 240-yard par-3 to be difficult.
Tiger, seemed to accept golf links almost from the beginning it seems. Does it give you the best chance to move forward, whether this week or in the future to win again or to compete for style and maybe it doesn't require things that are too difficult for you now?
TIGER WOODS: I think the older you get, the less you handle the golf ball. But here, you can hit a golf ball 100 yards if you get the right wind and the right trajectory.
It rivals the high launch conditions you often see on the Tour today that are all over the world. Here it is a little different.
You can play on the floor. You can hit it down with a 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-wood, whatever, even drivers, and just fly it and get a bunch of runs.
I think that's one of the reasons why you see older players there on the board because they're not forced to carry the ball 320 yards again.
I know it's been 20 years since you were last here, but does Troon rate you highly as an open space?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I've always loved playing here. I've only played here twice. I played in '97 and '04. I loved them both.
I had the opportunity to play with Tom Weiskopf in his last practice round.
It was nice of him to take me back to some of his holes and the way he plays, and obviously I give him the stick, and he gives me the stick, like we always do.
We had a great time playing a good practice round.
Rory McIlroy recently revealed that Michael Jordan and Rafael Nadal are two people who reached out to him after what he went through at Pinehurst. I was wondering if you had talked to him about that or if you could offer any advice on how to deal with such a difficult loss.
TIGER WOODS: I just sent him a nice text. That was it. I waited a week before I sent it. I wanted to let it calm down. I know he was under siege from a lot of different things going on, he just let it cool down for a week.
Then I sent him a text, he basically said, as you know, I'm your friend. I know this is a difficult time. We have all been there as champions.
We all lose. Unfortunately, it just happened, and your raw emotions, are still there, and will be there, I'm sure, for some time. The sooner he can get back on the horse and get back into contention, like he did last week, the better for him.
What do you think is the saddest loss you've had in your career and how long did it take you to process it?
TIGER WOODS: Probably the hardest loss to overcome was losing to Ye Yang in the 2009 PGA Championship.
It was difficult because I was leading and I had never lost a major tournament when I was leading. That was the first time. It took a little longer to get through that because I made some stupid mistakes in the middle of the last lap.
I made a big meeting in the end, but it was too late. You can't make the same mistakes I did and expect to win tournaments. I know better than that.
As for this week, it's obviously very different from what the boys play week in and week out. How did you adjust your setup in your wallet? Have you changed any clubs?
TIGER WOODS: Let's see. I play monkey with my 60° wedge jump. I got a couple of 60s that I'm trying to test right now, one with a little bounce in the recording areas.
Also, I love the way my old 60 goes in the basement and out. It's not digging. So I have to call that.
I just bent my 3 iron yesterday one degree hard just so I could hit it off the deck and get that thing down and fly and run. And I added lead tape to my putter just because the greens are slow.
Keegan Bradley was recently named next year's Ryder Cup captain, but there has been a lot of speculation about who could captain the United States in Ireland in 2027. What would be your feelings about being the captain there?
TIGER WOODS: Like I said, I'll put my hat in the ring again when I have more time and feel like I can commit to the Ryder Cup.
As of right now, I have a lot of different things that I'm busy with and I'm trying to be fair at the same time to all the players that are part of the PGA TOUR. It's one of those things where you just can't get it wrong.
In your role as a negotiator or participant in the discussions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, can you tell us if you think the light at the end of the tunnel is closer than it was?
TIGER WOODS: I can tell you we're making progress. I can't tell you more than that because we can't discuss it outside.
We have to keep everything classy and confidential, but things move and things change. It changes every day.
There are emails and chains and texts and ideas bouncing back and forth on both sides.
There is a good exchange of ideas and thoughts on what the game could look like going forward.
It's just a matter of putting it all together legally. Obviously, we've got the Department of Justice looking after that and making sure that we're not doing anything wrong there, but also making sure that all the players benefit from this and everyone involved.
They also want to make money. They want to make that comeback. Now we are not only in charitable activities, we are in profit making model. So we have to make returns.
Would you say you are happy with the way things are going?
TIGER WOODS: Yes, I am.
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