Transcript of Tiger's interview after final round @ US Open

Transcript of Tiger's interview after final round @ US Open

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: I didn't know the wind was down. I thought it was more a crest and that brought the right side into play. I fired at the pin on 10. Steve said take dead aim right at it, and in my heart I said no. There was no chance. I have a sand wedge in my hand, and I can't play at that flag. You land the ball on the green. It will go past the flags.

I had a 10, 15-footer after that because I aimed at Greg's ball. I went against my own -- I know things and hit the ball to the right and then hit the wrong club on 12. My instincts were telling me to hit a five, play it to the right, just draw it in there, and we thought four would be better, hold it up against the wind and I made just an awful swing

Q. You put yourself yesterday in such a fantastic round and then not to be able to kind of get those cylinders going again. How disappointing is that?

TIGER WOODS: It's disappointing because I started off so poorly again and left myself above the hole. Every putt I missed was from above the hole. Yesterday I made everything because it was all below the the hole. These greens are bumpy enough where putts above the holes it's just pot luck.

But below the hole it takes a lot of that break out, and the putts I had today that were below the hole I made them.

Q. How much would you tribute that whatever struggles you had to simply not having enough rounds under your belt?

TIGER WOODS: It's not that. No, actually I hit the ball well enough yesterday, and I felt like I was warmed up well, and I kept leaving myself in the wrong spots. Every time was above the hole, I did hit one bad shot there at 3.

But other than a that I really didn't hit too many bad shots I just left myself until the wrong spots.

Q. 3-wood off 6?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, should have been a 2-iron down there. It's a 2-iron, 3-iron or are 2-iron, 2-iron. Doesn't need to hit 3-wood down there.

Q. Is that something that you have now put behind you?

TIGER WOODS: I feel like I can play now. Yeah. I can I got a fell for my game, my shape of my shots, what I'm working on, and the two Major Championships I finished I had a chance to win both of them. So it's not too bad.

Q. How did your swing feel today technically Tiger?

TIGER WOODS: It felt good. It felt good. And I just kept leaving myself in the worst spots. You take away those three mental errors right there and I'm right there. I'm tied for the lead.

Q. At the beginning was there any sense that you have to try to make something happen good because Dustin had the lead?

TIGER WOODS: No.

Q. To start the day?

TIGER WOODS: No, no. Our game plan was just if we shot under par for the day we would probably win. The golf course was playing too hard, too fast, and you can get away from you pretty quickly out there.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TIGER WOODS: No. Not at all because you can do that around this place. Just because you're playing well it doesn't mean that you're -- it can't happen to you that it can't happen to you. And this golf course it beats you into being aggressive, and Mike set up the golf course really well that way. Where you could be very aggressive.

But then again if you miss it on the wrong side, I mean, we had what, 9 yards, whatever it is, on 7, and you can't fire at a flag. And if you do you land the ball on the green you know it's going to be in the water or in the rough back there and I mean in the bunker it's not going to stay on the green. And that's the plan have you to have here.

Q. What did you think of the way Havret played?

TIGER WOODS: He played beautifully today. He played beautifully. He did everything he needed to do to win the championship. He hung in there. He grinded. He was placing the ball in the correct spots. When he did miss he missed in a great spot. He left himself with all the green to work with. You look at the miss he made on 15 today, that was a beautiful play, just hit it way left, and so he had an angle to pitch back up, great up-and-down.

Q. How do you think you played? How does your performance bode for the rest of the year take going forward?

TIGER WOODS: I feel like I put some pieces together this week. It's a process. It's a long process, but I've put some of it together, and I hit some shots this week that I haven't hit in a long time.

Q. Considering the the history at the U.S. Open, whose won it, are you surprised that there's not a more marquee player winning it?

TIGER WOODS: Not necessarily because of what Mike has done with the golf course. He's given more guys the chance to win the golf tournament. It's more open now. With the graduated rough, being firm and fast like this, it brings a lot more players into play who have a chance to win.