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2008 Champion’s Interview – Tiger Woods (cont.)
The jabbing with Arnie aside, from an emotional standpoint
and just from a career goal standpoint and all that, how much
does it mean at this point in your life and at this point in your
career to pass Arnie?
tW: Well, if you would have asked me would I have attained what
I have right now when I first turned pro at 20 years old, no. I could
never have foreseen my victory total being this high, my game
improvement being as much as it has been, my knowledge of the
game. I would never have foreseen that. I knew I was going to get
better, but I didn’t think I was going to have this victory total when I
first turned pro, no.
But what about specifically, about Arnie, and what he meant
to the game and basically being the most popular player of all
time and basically him as a person?
tW: I think any time you’re associated with arnold and what he’s
done with the game of golf, it’s always a positive thing. He’s been the
ambassador of golf since the ’50s. It’s hard to believe it’s been over 50
years of him just being the flagship of golf on a global scale, not just
here in the united States. He’s played all around the world and he’s
carried golf. He’s what brought golf into the mainstream on tV.
I want to go back and talk a little about that stretch you
had in ’99, 2000, which is getting pretty analogous to what
you’re doing now. Do you think the wins today might be more
meaningful in that you’re not playing as many Disneys and
Phoenixes? I’m going to get stares for that one, but some of the
ones where the scoring is really low? Your scoring average for
2000 and last year were identical, and last year you’re playing
pretty much just the varsity schedule and winning those types
of events. I wonder if maybe that factors into why you think
you’re playing better now?
tW: Finally someone understood. that’s one of the reasons why I said
what I said. You hit the nail right on the head on that one.
You mentioned about on the 14th on Wednesday and you were
making a run. Is that something you can just decide to do?
tW: I wish it was that easy. You know, when I made that putt there
at 14 it was nice to make because, one, I needed to make it. I had to
get back in the match. But I just felt that if I could make that putt, hit
a good drive down 15, I would have momentum in the match. Even
though I was 2-down, I felt like I would have the momentum. and
all of a sudden that’s how it turned out to be. But the putt I made on
16 was the putt. I had to make that putt. I just had to get all square
before we got to 18. that’s what I kept telling Stevie (Williams); we
just need to get this thing all square before we get to 18, just to put
heat on him. He’s never played in this event before. He’s never had to
finish off a guy in this event. If I get it all square to 18, just make him
think about it.
Is it as much fun for you to have a run to win or when you have
to work hard to win?
tW: I would rather be out front, it’s just slightly easier on the system.
Coming back from behind obviously it’s—you get a lot of satisfaction
out of it because you have to dig deep and find a way. But when
you’re out in front and rolling, everything is kind of going your way.
and it just seems like it just snowballs the correct way.
You always talk about improving. I was wondering if you could
talk about the improvement in your short game. Coming out of
this week, is there anything you need to improve upon before
Bay Hill in your own mind?
tW: I worked on my short game pretty hard this winter. I didn’t like
what I was feeling at the end of last year, even though I was winning
tournaments. My short game was not very good. I was chipping it up
there in a range I didn’t think was close enough, but I was making
putts. So it was misleading. one of the things that—I guess it’s hard
to explain to someone. If you’re hitting a lot of greens, you get into a
rhythm of hitting greens. and then when you miss one, you haven’t
hit a pitch shot or you haven’t gotten a rhythm of hitting a pitch. So I
wanted to make sure I did a lot of work on that this winter so if I did
miss greens I would feel comfortable with my technique, even though
I haven’t hit a bunch of pitch shots. obviously going into the Florida
Swing I’m going to have to work on a few things, but I’m very pleased
at the progress that I made this week, and I think the ability to adapt
and figure things out on the fly is something I’m very proud of.
You’ve talked a lot about the match with J.B., but against
(Aaron) Baddeley on 18 and the 19th hole and he has those
putts to win and you’re watching him. What’s going through
your mind at that point when he can close out the match?
tW: Well, 18 was not a realistic putt to make. people don’t realize
how hard of a putt that was. of the two putts, I had the easier of the
two putts, even though mine was a lot faster. I didn’t have that much
break. He had just a really difficult putt. the putt he had at the first
hole, that was the putt. It’s a tough putt to read because that pin was
so deep that actually it’s on the other side of the slope, and the valley
has a little bit more effect on that putt. and he hit a good putt and you
could see the valley just kind of snag it at the end, but it was a good
putt.
When you’re standing there watching, are you giving yourself
a pep talk to get ready for the next tee?
tW: that’s what you always do.
Given that you’ve won this event three times, I wonder if you
would be totally in favor of the PGA Championship reverting
back to the match play format and why that is?
tW: Well, I guess I’m 50/50 split, because I’ve won, I think, both
tournaments three times. So I could go either way.
pgatour.CoM 2009 World golf Championships-accenture Match play Championship Media guide / 15