[Gxgolfer]

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Baltusrol Golf Club
August 09, 2005
Pre-Round

An interview with:

PHIL MICKELSON

JULIUS MASON: Phil Mickelson, ladies and gentlemen, playing in his 13th PGA Championship.

Phil, welcome to Baltusrol. If you had a chance to play it, tell us what you think, and we'll go to Q&A.

PHIL MICKELSON: I just walked off the golf course, and it's one of the best, fairest, toughest setups that I think we've had in years. I understand now why this golf course gets so many major championships. It's just a terrific test of golf. And I'm really excited about the tournament getting started.

JULIUS MASON: Questions?

Q. Does your love affair with Baltusrol have anything to do with you playing well today?

PHIL MICKELSON: I played well today. I had a good practice session, and I was able to come in here last week and kind of see the course, know what shots to hit, and I think that it's just a very hard, straightforward, fair test of golf. I can't say enough good things about it.

Q. With a chance of thunderstorms this weekend and this being such a long course, what kind of adjustments do you make or would you make, and what type of player do you think has an advantage should it rain this weekend?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I don't know if length will be a big factor or not. It certainly could be. If it does rain and stay wet, it will play longer, but I also think it will allow for lower scoring, because of two reasons. One, the ball will stay in the fairways a lot easier than if they firm up; and two, hitting shots into the green, although we might be hitting a long iron, a 3 , 4 or 5 iron, having the ball stop quickly on those fast greens is going to be a huge help. So if it stays wet, I think we'll see lower scores than if it dries out.

Q. Is there a certain type of player do you think has an advantage, a high hitter?

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't think it favors any one particular style of player. I think length could be a factor, but I think the most important thing is just to play well and hit the shots. It's not playing overly long to where the shortest of hitters can't play well and win.

Q. There's a theory that the longer they make the courses, the fewer players that can really win. People are saying 10, 15, only 20 players here can really win. Do you subscribe to that theory?

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't subscribe to that, especially this week. I think that it's just such a fair test that you don't need length necessarily to play well here.

I think that Augusta is a course where length is a big factor, no question. But here, the rough is so penalizing well, the difference between here and Augusta is that the fairways are, one, a little tighter here, and the rough is a lot thicker. If you do hit it into the rough, you are having a very difficult time saving par, so even though you might be a slightly shorter hitter, hitting out of the fairway allows you to get a lot closer to the green and make pars and birdies.

Q. Can you talk about the first seven holes here and how it sets up the golf course?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, the first seven holes are by far the meat and toughest part of the course in my opinion. If you can somehow squeak through those first seven holes at even par, you should be able to have a pretty good round.

Now, it doesn't mean that the last 11 holes are a pushover; they certainly are not that, but you have shorter irons in if you can hit the fairways and more birdie opportunities; whereas three 3 and 7 are converted par 5s, they play very difficult, you'd be very thankful just to get a par there.

The 4th hole is one heck of a starting hole; it's one of the toughest par 3s we'll see, it's just a very difficult test of golf. The first seven holes are by far the toughest.

Q. In terms of sports popularity, do you think it's better to have it real competitive at the top as it was with you and Vijay and Tiger, or is it maybe even better when Tiger is ahead of everybody?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I know which one I prefer (laughter), but that's a little biased.

So, I don't know, I like it when we see a lot of guys competing for the top spot.

Q. I just want to ask, do you sense that it's getting to be like 2000 again where Tiger is a little bit above everybody, or do you not feel that at all?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, certainly his wins would lead anybody to feel that way. But as a player and a competitor, I don't really subscribe to that.

Q. What's your anticipation level for this major? It's been an odd year for you in the majors. Are you more anticipating it because of what the golf course looks like, and how is the game coming along? You seem to be getting a little bit of momentum last week.

PHIL MICKELSON: You know, it's been a great three weeks since the British Open for me. I've had some great ideas on how to start playing the way I feel I can and know that I can.

I had a good week last week. Even though I didn't play my best, to have a 10th place and to hit some shots at times even though I was a little rusty, I feel like I learned a lot last week and I'm trying to carry it over this week. I'm really looking forward to the last major. I really think everybody is really putting everything they have into this event, myself included, to finish out the year the right way.

Q. After playing a few practice rounds now and seeing 17, what's your overall assessment of it, one; and two, could a 700 yard par 5 be in the near future?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I'm sure it could.

17 will not be hit in two shots this week at all. I just don't see how it's at all possible. There's maybe two guys or three guys that might have a chance, and even then they would have to be missing the cut by ten shots to even try it I would think (laughter).

It's a true three shot par 5, as true a three shotter as they come.

Q. Do you think John Daly could be one of those? He hit a couple of balls from the fairway today in his practice round and came up just short in the rough. Would he be a guy that would go for? It?

PHIL MICKELSON: Given the right scenario, yeah, I wouldn't be surprised (laughter).

But I think if he's contending and going to win the championship, he won't be going for it in two.

Q. We're coming to the 75th anniversary of Bobby Jones' Grand Slam. What do you think of his achievements? What do you think of them and do you think some of his records could ever be matched in this day and age?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I'm not going to say that the records couldn't be matched because I think we thought that what Tiger has done in his career wouldn't be matched or it wouldn't be done back in the mid '90s. So I would not put anything past anyone.

But what Bobby Jones did as a player, it's remarkable is really not even a fair assessment. I think the thing I respect most about Bobby Jones is how educated an individual he was. He didn't spend every minute practicing like we do, working out, trying to hone his skills as much as possible. He would put the clubs up for six or eight months and go study and get his degrees and so forth and then pull the clubs out of the closet and then go play top caliber golf over the summer. It was just amazing.

Q. It's no mystery you're a huge fan favorite, but the New York fans, the New York area fans are sort of a different breed. Can you talk about them and what your thoughts are on the New York fan?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, we're in New Jersey, just so you know.

Q. The New York area. I tried to qualify that.

PHIL MICKELSON: I love it up here. I love it. I love the golf courses and I love the people and I love the food. It's a great place to come. It's a great place to live, but if you don't, it's a great place to come and visit. My wife and kids can't wait to come to the events up here because of all the great things happening in downtown Manhattan, and the whole city provides such a fun atmosphere from the shows and the zoo and such great educational experiences and we just love it here.

Q. And the fans themselves?

PHIL MICKELSON: Awesome. Awesome. 2002 at Bethpage was one of the coolest moments. Even though I didn't win, it was an awesome place to hold an event.

Q. All of the majors have their own personality, their own charm, their own traditions. If you had to describe it, what makes the PGA distinct from the other three?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, the great thing in my opinion about the PGA and why it is quickly becoming one of my favorite events in majors to play in is that they know how to set it up, set the course up fairly. It's just a good, straightforward, hard test, fair test of golf. There's no tricked up greens, there's no tricked up pin placements. They didn't move the fairways in eight to ten yards like we saw a couple of months ago. It just is a very fair test.

And if 8 or 10 under par wins, so be it, and if the wind comes up or the greens firm out, even par could win it. Score doesn't matter as long as it presents a fair challenge. As fellow professional golfers, and that's what members of the PGA are, we all see eye to eye on that.

JULIUS MASON: Good answer.

PHIL MICKELSON: You're a little biased though, aren't (laughter)?

Q. How much did Julius pay you for saying that, A; and mostly, on your schedule, you said earlier this year, I think, that you pour so much into the four majors that when it's over, there's a bit of a break, and I'm just curious with the Presidents Cup, the Other Cup sorry, Julius next month, what your schedule is looking like the rest of the year?

PHIL MICKELSON: I'll play a couple more events and I'm excited about those, but right now, Doug, all I'm trying to do is put everything I have into this event, from the preparation last week, playing the event, trying to hit the shots I'm going to hit. A Nicklaus course favors a left to right shot, and all the last week, I was hitting right to left fades, because that's all I'll hit here. You'll see me hit fade after fade on this course because I want to take the right side out of play on most every hole. So I was trying to hit those exact shots last week that I was going to hit here.

I want to put everything into that I have into this one championship as I'm sure my fellow competitors are doing and I'll worry about it later, but I do plan on playing some more events this year, absolutely.

Q. Obviously going into the Masters there was a lot of talk about the top four or five players in the world competing, and now Tiger has won twice and finished second and the other players at the top have not really contended in the back nine on Sunday. Are you surprised it has unfolded that way and what can you do to put it together?

PHIL MICKELSON: I might be a little surprised. Certainly, unfortunately, Ernie Els hurt his knee and won't be competing this week. Retief looks like he's playing at the top of his game after a great performance last week. Vijay winning Buick is playing very well. I think that a lot of the top guys are going to be there to put up a good challenge, though, this week.

Q. Another two parter, just about preparation. Are you preparing the same way you did earlier in the year for majors last year, and that said, has this year been a bit of a disappointment for you as far as the success you've had?

PHIL MICKELSON: Absolutely I'm preparing the same way. I haven't had the same success to answer the second part of your question, which is certainly not most thrilling. But after a great start, I had a great start to the year, and feel like I was playing very well. I just didn't play the best during the summer, but I think that things are turning around and I'm looking forward to finishing off the year right, not just this week, but maybe a few more events. As I was telling Doug, would I love to play well at the Presidents Cup; after playing poorly there in 2003, I want to turn that around. But I really want to put everything that I have into this week and see if I can play to the level I know I can play.

Q. Has there been anything that you can identify that you've struggled with this year? I know last year you worked a lot on your short game with Dave Pelz. Has there been anything this year that you can identify that you've had trouble with?

PHIL MICKELSON: If I look statistically, my putting has been the one area on these quick, fast greens in the majors that has not been to the same level as last year, so that's something I've been working on and hopefully have it figured out. The greens here, I feel like I have a pretty good feel on, and they roll so true and perfectly, I feel very confidently on them.

Q. Knowing the challenge in the majors, in the context of the game and its history, where would you rate a year where a single player won three majors and came in second in the fourth?

PHIL MICKELSON: Is that the year that Tiger had in 2000? Is that what you're referring to?

Q. No. It's the year, with all due respect to your own contention, it would be the year that he would have this year if he won here.

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, let's answer that one, though, a little later (laughter). Certainly that's a good question, but let's ask that one a little later.

Q. Given how much you pour into preparing for major championships and the yardstick they can provide for careers, how big of a week is this for you, given that you have not challenged in the first three majors this year? In a sense is your year almost hanging on the four days to come here?

PHIL MICKELSON: I wouldn't quite put it that degree, no, but it could certainly make my perception of the way I feel about my performance of the four majors do a 180 this year. But I would not wrap up the whole year into how I played in the fourth majors because starting the year I felt that I had achieved a couple of things in my game that I had been wanting to do for a while. I feel like there were some good strides taken in 2005.

Q. You had been talking about how you do prepare the same way for a tournament and things like that. How about peripherally, like wearing a different color shirt? Any superstitions to snap you out of whatever you get into sometimes?

PHIL MICKELSON: No, I try really hard not to be superstitious, but you may see something this week that I haven't ever done really, and that's play with a hat. My head got a little sunburned last week, and to keep some of the sun off, I may wear a hat, which I haven't done in a long time.

Q. If you win will you wear a hat next week?

PHIL MICKELSON: You might see that. I might become a little more superstitious (laughter).

Q. I was just trying to help you out.

PHIL MICKELSON: Thank you.

Q. Obviously both Pinehurst and St. Andrews are very unique setups in major championships. How much a function of those setups do you think it is that the top four or five guys weren't all right there at these majors do we have to look at those setups and how unique those courses are in looking at big picture of the Big Five?

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know. I think that I wouldn't say that. I think that even though well, I think that the setup can play a factor, but the players playing the best should come out on top each week regardless of the setup. Everybody is playing the same course. Unless you have a ridiculous circumstance like we saw, I believe it was 2002 at Muirfield on Saturday where the leaders just got hammered with 40 mile an hour winds and rain and were shooting in the 80s, unless something like that happens, the best players, regardless of who they are, should come out on top and regardless of the setup.

Q. Just back to Tiger a little bit, he seems very comfortable and confident. Obviously he's had a good year and he's won the two majors and whatnot. You played with him a few weeks ago at The Bridges thing and whatnot, and you're around him at the events. Have you noticed, I'm not even saying necessarily the way he's been playing, but is there a certain comfort level, maybe in his marriage and whatnot and working with Hank that you've noticed maybe that's been the difference this year?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I don't know if it's his marriage or winning the Masters and the British Open, but certainly he seems pretty confident, absolutely. And he's playing very confidently, too.

He's going to be a tough competitor this week.

JULIUS MASON: Thanks for visiting with us, Phil.

PHIL MICKELSON: Thanks, guys.

[Gxgolfer]

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Baltusrol Golf Club
August 09, 2005
Pre-Round

An interview with:

SERGIO GARCIA

JULIUS MASON: Sergio Garcia, ladies and gentlemen, playing in the 87th PGA Championship. Sergio is playing in his seventh PGA Championship.

Sergio, welcome to Baltusrol Golf Club. Tell us what you think about the golf course and then we'll go to Q&A.

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, the golf course, the golf course is good, a very long golf course. The rough is quite thick. So, you know, as it always is, driving the ball well in a major is very important. This week is no exception.

The greens are quite big, so they are not too difficult to hit, although you are hitting a lot of long irons, but you are going to have a lot of putts with a lot of break that are going to be quite tough.

You know, it's just pretty much the same thing, it's just driving the ball well and putting well and being good around the greens is going to be key.

Q. With the possibility of rain over the next few days what kind of adjustments would you make in your game? And for people who hit the ball low off the tee, is that a disadvantage for them if it does rain?

SERGIO GARCIA: No, somebody who hits it low off the tee is going to hit it low off the tee; doesn't matter what adjustments they make, that's their game. I don't think there's a whole lot of difference. You've just got to realize the course is going to play a little bit longer, and it's going to be the same for everybody. You know, just the good thing is those guys that hit the ball a bit longer, a bit shorter, you know that they are really good with the long clubs. They can hit their woods and they can hit their long irons pretty well. So they can still manage to shoot a decent score, but we'll see.

Hopefully we don't get much rain and it will be nice to see the course starting to firm up and stuff. But unfortunately the predictions don't look that great.

Q. Do you think Tiger is back to where he was in 2000, and is it good or bad for golf when he's the dominating player?

SERGIO GARCIA: Excuse me?

Q. Do you think Tiger is back to where he was in 2000, and is it good or bad for golf when he's the dominant player?

SERGIO GARCIA: 2000? 2000 was Sahalee Valhalla. He's not back at where he was in 2000 for sure; he's playing well, I don't know, he's got his problems and I've got my problems and we'll try to work those out.

But I'm looking forward to this week. I think it's going to be very exciting and hopefully I can get it going and give myself a chance, so that will be good.

Q. Some players play one practice round or two before a major, some players like Phil Mickelson will have played three or four by Thursday; what method of preparation do you prefer going into a major and why?

SERGIO GARCIA: I usually play a couple. I don't think that you're going to learn much from playing four or five times. I think that with a couple of times you see everything that you need to see and you don't see too much. Sometimes seeing too much is not good, either, because you start worrying about things too much and don't just let go of it.

So I like to play a couple of rounds and I think that's been working well for me and that's the way I do it.

Q. What are your impressions of the 17th hole? I lot of guys are talking about it. And the second part of that is, it's 650 yards, could we be staring at a 700 yard par 5 soon?

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, the way things are going, it looks like it.

I don't know which is the best, the best way of doing these things, but it seems like, yeah, adding yardage is the easiest thing to do and that is the way we're going. To me, it does feel like a 650 yard par 5 that has bunkers in the middle for the lay up and everything, if you miss the fairway, unless you get a decent lie, it's going to be tough to hit over those bunkers. Today, I just missed the fairway by two feet and I had to hit just like a little wedge and a 3 iron into the green. So I don't know if that's the best setup, but that's the way it is this week, so we just hopefully have to hit it in the fairway as many times as possible.

For as long as the hole is, it does seem like it's fair.

Q. Do you have any special affinity for this tournament, since '99 was kind of the stage where most Americans learned who you were?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, the PGA Championship has always been a fun tournament for me. I've had the pleasure of playing fairly well on it. Unfortunately I haven't been able to win it yet, but, you know, it's one of those tournaments that of course I would love to win by when my career ends.

Hopefully I can give myself a chance this week. I like the course. I need to, you know, feel a little bit better. My back is a bit sore. But other than that, I'm looking forward to it and hopefully I can get it going a little bit.

Q. How do you feel about the first seven holes as an opening stretch of the golf course?

SERGIO GARCIA: It's good. There's some really good holes out there. You know, you've got a couple of tee shots that are tough; like the third hole, it's quite a difficult tee shot, you have a couple holes in a row that I think it's 6 and 7 are long holes, or 5 and 6, something like that.

And the par 3s are all long, so it's going to be it's going to be challenging and it looks like we're going to be fortunate in the way of the weather because it's toughened up the course a little bit so you can still hit some 2 and 3 , 4 irons and stop the ball fairly quickly, that makes it a bit easier (softly).

It's something that you can hopefully take advantage of.

Q. Since you were nice enough to point out that we're in New Jersey now, I'm going to assume that you're not back to where you were in 1999, but I'm wondering if there's any sense of impatience on your part knowing that in 1999, you were only 19, you came very close to winning this tournament, your first major, and maybe you got a sense then that that would be a regular thing, contending in and maybe winning majors, and yet you haven't come close since.

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, closer than second is only first, so it's tough to come closer than second without winning to start with.

Second of all, I have been close. I've been very, very close, many times. But unfortunately things haven't worked. They haven't gone my way. You've got to realize that a lot of these majors, I'm contending without really putting well, and that's a tough thing to do. I've just got to get the potato going a little bit, get the putter going a little bit and hole some putts here and there and if things start going my way, I'm sure I'll have a good chance. But I'm really not psychic about it, I'm not too worried about it at the moment, and I just want to focus and keep playing well like I am and hole some more putts and then I'll know that we'll be there.

Q. The setups for all four majors are distinctly different. Do you favor one over the others, maybe a PGA setup for its championship compared to the U.S. Open?

SERGIO GARCIA: I don't know. I guess I've always said that my favorite ones are the British Open and The Masters. But I've also said that probably the U.S. Open is the one that suits my game the best because it challenges you to hit a lot of drivers off the tee and you have to hit it fairly straight, and I'm usually pretty good at that.

So this week, it's similar. It's a course where you have to hit a lot of drivers, because if not, you're going to be having very, very long clubs into the greens, and the rough is still pretty thick, so if you don't manage to get in the fairway, you're going to struggle a little bit to hit on the greens.

I like the way this course is set up. Hopefully I can get it going a little bit and give myself a good chance. It's something that I'm really looking forward to and we'll see if it happens.

Q. You said earlier that you had a sore back; is that something that's just happened or have you had trouble with it for a couple of days?

SERGIO GARCIA: No, it just happened, just a little bit sore on the upper part of my back. It bothered me a little bit today, but it wasn't too bad, so I'll get it sorted out this afternoon, and hopefully by tomorrow I'll be sweet.

Q. Another geography question, awfully close to New York, I was just curious if you noticed a difference between the New York and New Jersey fans and how the galleries have responded to you?

SERGIO GARCIA: No, no, the galleries are great. The tournament hasn't started, so everything is pretty quiet at the moment.

No, the galleries are really nice, and there's a lot of people out there, so it's nice to see. You know, hopefully it's going to be enjoyable throughout the week. Hopefully we can get a bit of better weather coming and a bit of sun and it will make everybody a bit happier. It should be fun to watch all of the people and it's going to be a good atmosphere.

Q. They talk about inclement weather coming in on Thursday and Friday; are there any aspects of your game or certain holes that you're going to have to adjust to if the rain comes, and what are you going to have to do?

SERGIO GARCIA: Not really. Still pretty much the same thing. You just realize that the golf course is going to play a bit softer and your long irons are going to be spot on, or they are going to have to be spot on. Other than that, it's just the same thing, nothing really changes.

JULIUS MASON: Questions? Sergio, thanks very much for coming down today.

End of FastScripts.

[Gxgolfer]

TIGER WOODS

JULIUS MASON: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, two time PGA Champion Tiger Woods joining us at the 87th PGA Championship.

Tiger is playing in his ninth PGA Championship. Tiger, welcome to Baltusrol. You've probably been on the course a couple of times. How about some thoughts on the facility and we'll go to Q&A.

TIGER WOODS: Okay. Well, the golf course is playing great. I mean, the rough is up, the fairways are soft, you know, softer than I thought they would be. The greens are a little bit soft, as well. But, you know, boy, you've really got to hit your golf ball well here because obviously the penalty is very severe.

Q. Just looking at your record, in ten major victories, it looks to me like you've won seven of them on golf courses where you've competed before, but your two PGAs, Medinah and Valhalla, looking at them, is it harder to prepare for a major when you have not competed on the golf course before?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I don't think you have any experience on it. And also, how it has played before. I mean, granted, this golf course is completely new to a lot of the guys who played in '93, obviously with a lot of the new tees, the fairway widths have changed.

So this is basically a new venue for those guys, as well. So it doesn't hurt me as much, no, but it's always nice to have more experience on the golf course because you can always draw upon those experiences.

Q. When you have a close call like at the Open this year, the U.S. Open, do you put something like that out of your mind and say, I'm still swinging good, I'm on target to what I want to do and put it out of your mind, or do you use it to get yourself motivated for the next major? Do you get mad at yourself when things like that happen?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I hit the ball beautifully all week. I just putted terribly. Look at my stats. People have said, you know, basically, you lost the tournament on 16 and 17 on Sunday. That's wrong. I lost it all four days on the greens because I did not putt well any day.

You know, my best day wasn't very good, so that's normally not the case for me. Usually I'm a pretty good putter day in and day out; I just had a bad putting week the wrong time. And on top of that, it was on the most severe greens we'll probably ever play on. It's just a terrible combination there, but to putt that poorly and still have a chance to win the U.S. Open, that's when you know you're hitting the ball pretty good. So I was very excited about that, and I continued that at the Western and obviously at the British and the Buick, as well.

Q. How do you feel about the last two holes, 17 and 18, being par 5s?

TIGER WOODS: Well, 17 is going to be a three shot hole unless it turns big time downwind and the fairways dry out. Otherwise, no, you can't get there in two.

The fairways being this soft, balls, you're making ballmarks on every tee shot so you can't get a ball down there. It a three shot hole; get it down there with a wedge, attack that flag and you can make birdie.

18, you get the ball on the fairway, you can knock the ball on the green. It's imperative to putt the ball in play there because you know you have some mid to long irons in there. One of the back pins, there's a good chance you can make three. Front pins, probably different story, you probably have to putt back from 30, 40 feet, but the back pins are accessible there on 18. It's very interesting, I've never seen anything like that before, 17 and 18 as par 5s, when you have nothing but par 3s and par 4s all the way around.

Q. Welcome to New Jersey.

TIGER WOODS: Thank you.

Q. We've heard a lot about the swing changes and all of that. What area besides mechanics have you improved on in the last couple of years?

TIGER WOODS: I think experience helps, my course management skills, my knowledge of the game. My short game, I've learned more shots. I think just overall experience.

I've gone through a lot the last couple of years how to manage a round of golf, because I didn't really have my mechanics last year. I wasn't really hitting it solid and crisp and clean day in and day out, so I had to somehow manage a score, and those experiences sure helped.

You know, when you have days that you're off, you can still somehow come up with a good number, and that helps a lot.

Q. You have a chance to win three majors for the second time in five years. This isn't a question about the swing or different shots you're playing, but I'm just curious how this year seems different from 2000, from an atmosphere standpoint, from a confidence standpoint, every standpoint but the swing, so don't mention your swing.

TIGER WOODS: I think the atmosphere is nowhere near what it was in 2000 because I had won the U.S. Open by 15 and the British Open by eight, so 23 shots in two tournaments is pretty good (laughter).

This year, I've won two major championships. The Masters was a little bit closer, but I won the British by five. The atmosphere was a little different, because on top of that, I've done this before; I've won three majors in one year. I guess from some of the guys I've talked to this week, you know, in the media, just the novelty factor is not there anymore; I've already done it. Hopefully I can do it again.

Q. Confidence wise?

TIGER WOODS: Confident, I feel just as good, yeah.

Q. When it comes to what you keep in your bag, are you a guy that likes to tinker with loft and lie and swing weight and things like that, and if you do, what kind of thinking goes into those decisions?

TIGER WOODS: To be honest with you, my lofts, my lie, my length on my irons haven't changed since I was 14 years old. So to answer your question, no.

Q. Why not?

TIGER WOODS: Why? Because they have worked (smiling).

I've won a lot of tournaments since I was 14. I'm not going to change. But I have changed my 3 wood obviously and my driver over the years and trying to keep up with everybody off the tees, but my irons are still very weak compared to today's standards. They are the standards back in the 60s. People have that so called gap wedge. Well, my pitching wedge is like 51 degrees. My 9 iron is like 45, and that's like most people's gap wedges.

A lot of the guys' pitching wedge is like my 9 irons, so I play with very weak lofts, but they have worked so far.

Q. With the chance of some rain on Thursday or Friday, what kind of adjustments would you make for this course and what type of player do you think that would favor should it rain?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I tell you what, if it rains, the golf course is going to get longer. You're going to have to drive the ball well. You're going to have to drive it long. Long does help in the fairway here, more so than most golf courses, because it's 7,400 yards. Too often you play within the first three holes, two par 4s at over 480. That's kind of a wake up call right out of the gate. You have some good holes you have to start off on.

So the guys who are driving the ball well and on top of that a little bit higher are certainly going to have an advantage; like at Augusta when it rains, you look at most of the guys on that leaderboard, all high ball hitters when it does rain.

Q. We know what a student of the game you are and what a student of Jack's record you are. What does that mean to you about this place; how do you think about it and how do you feel about Baltusrol?

TIGER WOODS: This is my first time here. I played it for the first time last Monday. I didn't really know a whole lot coming here other than Jack has won here twice and Lee won here in '93. Other than that, I really didn't know a whole lot about the golf course.

When I came here, I could see why a lot of people Love this place, because it's fair. I mean, it's one of the old school golf courses where it's just right in front of you. There's no hidden tricks. There's no elephant burial grounds that we have to play now on some of the golf courses. I mean, it's just right in front of you. It's a very fair test, and you could see how it could get very difficult around here and I could see why some of the guys who have done well, who have played consistently here over the years, have been great ball strikers.

Q. With regard to Hank, can you talk a little bit about your relationship with him and how it's evolved and why it's worked, and just a little compare and contrast to your relationship with Butch when you guys were working together? Obviously both worked well.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, two totally different personalities. Butch is very outgoing and Hank is more introverted. Both are very dedicated to what they do. That's one of the things that has attracted me to both of them, their dedication to the game and to the swing. They both have helped me quite a bit in my career.

You know, Hank is very quiet. He doesn't say a whole lot. So when he does say something, you kind of like it's like E.F. Hutton; you listen, because he doesn't say much. Even when we're working on the swing, and I've got a lot of things to work on, he just kind of sits there real quiet until I get a little frustrated and then I'll say something and he's on me about it. Other than that, he's real laid back.

Q. We've seen a lengthening of major tournament courses the last few years. Is moving the tee boxes back an answer, and do you see this continuing and where do you see this heading?

TIGER WOODS: I don't see why it won't stop, because obviously the golf balls are only going to get faster and longer. Guys are going to get bigger and stronger. Agronomy helps, too, as well. If you get the fairways hard and fast, it's amazing how much shorter a golf course can play.

We played Pinehurst this year and we thought it was a very short golf course, and it's not. It was playing close to 7,300 yards, which we thought was short because the golf course was fast. If you get it fast and hard, you can make the golf courses ridiculously long, because they don't play long.

This week is different. Obviously the fairway is very soft and making ballmarks on every tee shot, even with drivers. I don't see why they won't continue making the golf courses longer, just because guys are going to continue to hit it further, and it's just kind of the nature of the game until they put there's a speed limit on the faces and on the balls, but we seem to every year find something a little bit faster and a little bit longer. Granted, guys are giving up a lot on the greens by going to harder balls to hit it further, but that's how the game has changed. It's not relying upon spin around the greens anymore. It's about distance off of the tees.

Q. This year began with an awful lot of talk about the Big Five in the game. Does it surprise you at all that here we are at the last major of the year, and of the Big Five, you're the only one who has contended going down the stretch of any of the majors we've had so far this year?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I'm not the only one. Vijay's done all right, you know, three Top 10s. It's not like he's been out of it.

Q. I was talking specifically about the major championships.

TIGER WOODS: I know. He's had three Top 10s.

Q. But in terms of contending for the title.

TIGER WOODS: He was there. So was I. Unfortunately Ernie and Goose and Phil didn't really play all that well, except Goose played great. I mean, he was leading the U.S. Open. So I don't really know where you're coming with that question. I mean, he had a four shot lead going into Sunday at the U.S. Open or something like that.

Q. Padraig said that he felt like one of the things that made you so unbeatable in 2000 was you felt like you were unbeatable. I'm wondering, you've got a lot more experience now since then, but with experience comes a lot of good and bad memories, and I'm wondering, the memory bank of that kind of stuff, whether it changes the mental challenge of trying to stay on top when you're not young and bulletproof.

TIGER WOODS: Man, you guys act like I hit it great all the time back then. I hit some bad shots.

You know, I've been playing this game a long time, you know, since the age of one, so I've had a lot of bad shots over my life (smiling). It's one of those things where once you get out there, you just play and you focus on where you need to place the golf ball. Even last year when I had a tough time placing my golf ball, my main objective was, how am I going to get it there and the shape I want to put on it to place it where I want to place it. Whether I did it or not was a different story, but your focus doesn't change.

You may have bad experiences, but you block all of that out and put a ball where you need to put it. That's the mindset I've always had.

You know, sometimes my mechanics won't allow me to do that, and that's when it's frustrating, but a lot of times my mechanics do allow me to do that and that's when I can get it going.

Q. Along the same lines, you've said in the past that the media has a tendency to sort of make your great shots seem other worldly and your bad shots seem horrible. Given what you've accomplished this year, what new perspective do you have on 2003 and 2004 when you struggled?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I was changing a bunch of things. I struggled end of '97 and '98 and half of '99. I went two years with one victory. That's not very good, especially when I started off the way I did early in my career. So it's not like I haven't been down that road before, and I was committed to what I was doing.

I could see my improvement. I mean, that's where all of you aren't privy to that. You were not able to see what I was doing on the range at home, when I was at home at Isleworth or around my buddies and the shots I was hitting. It's like, wow, this is really neat. But can you take to the golf course in a tournament. Well, that's when I was struggling with it and I wasn't able to did it.

The experience I had in '97, '98, '99, sure it helped because I've been down that road before, and it takes time. I've had to stay patient, and going through those changes back then helped a lot this time around. Even though I was beaten up in the press a little bit for making the changes; why would you make a change? Well, I remember having the same conversations with a lot of people in the media back in '98 and '99; why would you make a change when you won The Masters by 12? Well, I could win by 13, you know, and I could win more of them. That's the whole idea. That's why I made the changes. Hence, I had a nice run.

You know, would you ever want to go back to 2000? No, I don't want to go back to 2000. I want to become better than that. And that's why I'm making the changes, you know, to become better. Not to become worse; become better. I'm very pleased.

Q. After Jack's farewell at the British, you mentioned in your newsletter actually, sort of seeing yourself at age 65, talking about physically, but I was just wondering, other than just the physical conditioning, what do you envision for yourself when you say goodbye in terms of majors or grandkids or fishing trips if you were to take a moment?

TIGER WOODS: It's like writing my obituary already (laughter).

What am I going to do? I think knowing me and how I am, my farewell will be very quiet. I don't think anyone will probably know until it's done. I'm not really going to say anything; that's kind of how I am. I'll just go out and play it. I'LL walk in here and say, "Guys, I'm done." That's probably how I'm going to do it.

You know, my whole objective is if my best isn't good enough to win anymore, I'm not playing. I couldn't handle going out there, for me personally, knowing that I played my absolute best and it wasn't good enough to win anymore, because I know what it feels like when I play my best. I've had some W's, and I don't know if I could handle that anymore, and it's time to move on, time to walk.

Q. The club has made a conscious decision to putt Kentucky bluegrass as a consistent item in their rough. What did you think of the density of the rough in terms of other PGA Championships and how you think this will all play out towards the end of the event?

TIGER WOODS: Well, the rough is really tough out there. The bluegrass is one thing, but I saw them raking it up, and not only are they raking it up, they are raking it towards the tee, so every ball that goes in there is into the grain. It's very interesting to see how they are setting up the golf course. There's just one little section probably eight yards across right off the fairways that they rake right towards the tees. Very similar to what USGA does, they always rake it towards the tees so you have into the grain lies, so therefore you can't control your shot and you can't normally get to the greens. That's how they can make the rough play more difficult.

This year is no exception. It's going to be tough. It's one of those things where you either hit it down the middle or you bomb it in the gallery over there, stomp it down and you're all right. I don't recommend hitting it in the gallery all the time, but it's a lot better than hitting that bluegrass.

Q. Knowing the history of the game and with the 75th anniversary of Bobby Jones' Grand Slam coming, what do you know of his achievements, and do you think some of the things he did will ever be matched?

TIGER WOODS: His dominance, for such a short span of time, we've never seen it since then. To win match play events, that's not easy to do. It just takes one day that you're not quite there and some guy is sharp and you're gone. You know, look at all of the tournaments he's won in match play. I think that's what makes his accomplishments so incredible.

And then to go on and to create The Masters and do all of the things he did for the game of golf at such a young age, you know, he retired early, 28. That's like saying I'm done already. It's hard to believe he walked that early. He had a lot more to accomplish in life than just golf, and he set out to do that and he did that. That's what makes his accomplishments, for such a short time, so remarkable.

Q. Colin Montgomerie has had difficult times both on and off the golf course and he showed a lot of strength of character in coming back. Do you think bearing in mind his St. Andrews do you think he's going to be in contention or any of the other Europeans?

TIGER WOODS: I don't know if he's healthy.

Q. Well, he's here.

TIGER WOODS: I know he's here, but I don't know if he's healthy after hurting his wrist like he said he did.

Q. He says he is.

TIGER WOODS: I said I was healthy before, too (laughter). It's just one of those things where you have to play and see what happens. You know, the last thing you want to do is come into a tournament where the rough is this high with a hand injury. Hopefully it will hold up. Hopefully he won't have any problems.

But he was hitting the ball beautifully when I played with him on Saturday at the British. I mean, he hit the ball beautifully. He started driving it like he was when he won all of those Order of Merits, seven in row. If he can do that here this week, there's no reason why he can't contend, because this week in particular, you have to drive the ball very well. It's set up just like a U.S. Open.

Q. You spoke a moment ago about trying to be better than 2000. Is there a part of the game right now that you feel is better than when you played in 2000, and also, do you feel that there's parts of your game that aren't anywhere near where you were in 2000?

TIGER WOODS: I'd have to say my iron play is probably better now than it was in 2000. My driving is not probably as good because I'm hitting it 20 to 30 yards further now, too, since 2000.

I went back over the tapes middle of this year looking at my drives in the major championships. If I added 30 yards, I would have missed more than half the fairways that I hit. I think that's the biggest difference is I'm hitting it so much further and harder. My putting is just as good, but it's been sporadic this year, which is interesting. I normally don't putt that way. I've usually been a very consistent putter over the years. This year is one of those weird years where I either putt great or I don't putt well at all.

I think my short game is better than it was then, and certainly my mind is pretty sharp. Also, don't forget the other guys have gotten better as well. They have gone back and really worked on their games and stepped it up and are playing much better than they did then. So it's a credit to everyone, we are all trying to get better. If you're standing still, then you're getting worse, so that's kind of how you've got to look at it.

Q. You mentioned that you're hitting the ball a little bit further. Would it be fair to characterize you as a physical player in the same way that we would describe a football or basketball player as being physical where you could wear down an opponent over four quarters or four rounds of golf?

TIGER WOODS: I think you would have to put that label on Jason Gore, not me (laughter). That whiteout, you know, that could take you deep. I ain't wearing you out. It might stretch the offense on you a little bit, stretch the defense on me a little bit.

Q. But the strength over 72 holes and maybe even psychologically, how much of an edge do you think that gave you? And Vijay is the same I think.

TIGER WOODS: You know, I hear guys all the time saying I'm tired after playing 18 holes. How could you be tired after playing golf? You should never be tired playing golf. It's just 18 holes. I think that's how I treat golf; it's a sport, it's not an activity. A lot of people do; they are not in shape, they don't take it seriously. But I came from a different background. I used to run track and cross country so that's a different background. I had to be in shape and I had to run all the time. That's kind of my mentality.

I think over the years as I've gotten stronger, I've gotten more fit. Certainly it has helped because of the days when we have to go 27 holes at a major championship like we did at Augusta. I did that, I played 50 what did I play? I played 54 holes in two days this year at Augusta, and I was fine. Most guys were worn down and I was okay, and that's a big difference.

Q. You said before that your confidence level is probably the same as it was in 2000 2001. Did it ever waiver in the interim and has it increased in the majors?

TIGER WOODS: There's no doubt about that. When you hit the ball poorly, your confidence ain't going to be high. The success I've had this year has been fantastic for it because there's nothing like getting some reaping some of the rewards of your hard work. I'm starting to get that now, and that's exciting.

Last year, the end of last year was a big stepping stone for me, to win overseas and to win my tournament, which is a great springboard into this year. I've made some improvements since then, which has helped out even more.

Q. You said you're pleased with how things have developed; I assume you're not satisfied. What kind of markers do you use and at what point would you sit back and say all of the efforts you've put into the last couple of years have been worth it compared to where you've been earlier in your career, say '99, 2000, 2001?

TIGER WOODS: You're never there. It's like, people ask me, "Are you there yet?" No. You never get there. And that's the great thing about it. You can always be better the next day. That's how I look at golf and how I look at life. You can always, always be better.

When I had my nice run there in '99 and 2000, I won 17 times, that was great, but it can always be better, right? That's how you've got to look at it. You have to look at the fact that you can become better. If you think you can't, then walk, because you have no business being out here if you think you can't get any better. That's how I approach it each and every practice session, each and every round you play.

Q. Would you have to win 18 in the same amount of time or seven majors in 11 starts?

TIGER WOODS: Whatever it is, you win more, and once you do that, you win by one, you win by two; you win by two, you win by three; you win by ten, you win by 11. And that's what's fun about it, get out there the next day and can't wait to get to work and do better than you did the day before.

Q. There is a theory that the longer they make the course, whether it's here or The Masters or whatever, that fewer golfers can really win. Do you subscribe to that theory? In other words, people are saying that make only 15 or 20 guys are capable at this length of winning here this week.

TIGER WOODS: Well, it does eliminate a lot of the guys who can't hit the ball long and high. You know, when you get to golf courses that are playing soft like this, it certainly does show up. Most of the guys you see at Augusta when it's wet, most of them are high ball hitters. Chris hits it very, I wouldn't say very long, but he's not short, but he's a high ball hitter; he hits everything straight up, so it helps.

At the U.S. Open, you saw a whole mixture of guys because the fairways were running so fast that anybody could play. When you get golf courses that are soft, and then you add that they are long, you tend to see high ball hitters, and on top of that, most of them are usually long, as well.

Q. Before you mentioned that maybe the novelty wasn't there, at least the perception; if you were going to win three majors, but if you were to win here, three majors and a second and in that second being in contention really until the 17th hole, how significant would that be in your mind?

TIGER WOODS: That would be huge, huge. I mean, to have won three majors in a year, that's pretty cool. Hopefully it will happen again this year. A long way to go. Got a long way to go before that happens.

Q. First off, did you have any problems finding a parking spot today?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, you noticed that yesterday?

Q. Yeah.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. Did you?

TIGER WOODS: No, the car wasn't there.

Q. And the last couple of weeks, have you thought that if you made a few more putts at Pinehurst, kind of going back to the last question, or Michael had not made those long bombs on the back nine, have you thought about what you might be looking at this week?

TIGER WOODS: No. I didn't look I swear, I didn't look at it that way.

I looked at the fact it was disappointing to putt poorly for all four days. Yeah, Michael made some putts, but he did what he needed to do to win the tournament, and I didn't. I did not put the way I needed to putt all four days to win our National Championship. I hit the ball like I was supposed to, but I just didn't put like I was supposed to. Michael, he did all facets of his game; he did what he needed to do to win that championship and he did.

For me, it was disappointing because I wasn't able to have one facet of my game that I think is always pretty good, not to be there. It wasn't there when I needed it the most, and that was disappointing for me.

Q. You said the atmosphere is not like it was in 2000, but how does the experience of the pursuit compare this year to then?

TIGER WOODS: The drive is still the same to go out there and win the championship, put myself there and hopefully come out on top. That hasn't changed. That's still the same.

JULIUS MASON: Tiger Woods, folks, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.