Questions For Tiger Woods
Q: Why do you always seem to play so well at Firestone?
A: I simply like this course. We don't get a chance to play old-school courses like this very often, where everything's right in front of you--no tricks, no hidden agendas, no elephant burial grounds. It's difficult, it's fun.
Q: Did you think your chances in the PGA Championship would have been better if it had finished on Sunday?
A: Without a doubt, because the wind had changed. We played 16, 17 and 18 straight downwind, and I hit a two-iron over the green on a 650-yard hole. Then all of a sudden the wind came up 15 or 20 miles per hour straight into their faces. They became very different holes. I hit a six-iron on number 16, and [later] some of the guys were hitting utility woods, so it was a completely different hole. Certainly if they would have played, I would have had a better chance of maybe getting into a playoff.
Q: Was the inconvenience of a Monday finish as important as the fact that it might have altered the tournament's outcome?
A: As you know, TV basically rules out here. The producers didn't like having anything taped, especially the drama of a major championship. I can understand their point, but then again, if you have inclement weather or a good chance of its coming in, I think you have to allow for a cushion. We had the same type of circumstance with darkness in South Africa for the [2003] Presidents Cup because they moved the tee times back so it would be in prime time, and lo and behold, look what happened. We ended up with a tie. It has happened before, and I'm sure it'll continue to happen every now and then.
Q: Do you worry less about hitting fairways because of how far you're hitting it?
A: I pull out my driver on every hole because I know I can put the ball in the fairway. I never had that before. When I had good years here, I was hitting two-irons and three-woods off the tee to keep it in play. I [still] hit some foul balls, but they're not as bad as they used to be.
Q: Now that you've switched to the new technology, how much longer are you hitting your driver?
A: Easily 20, 25 yards in the air.
Q: Bridgestone is going to be the new sponsor of this event. Do you have Bridgestone tires on any of your cars?
A: I wouldn't have a clue.
--Gary Van Sickle and ASAP Sports
Q: YOU'VE WON SEVEN TIMES IN OHIO. IS THERE SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE STATE?
A: WE NEED TO PLAY MORE IN OHIO, IT'S THAT SIMPLE. MAYBE A MAJOR COULD COME BACK TO INVERNESS?
KEY STAT
10
World Golf Championships won by Tiger Woods in 20 starts.
COLOR PHOTO
FRED VUICH (WOODS)
NEC ATM
Woods would rank 39th in career earnings just on what he has made in world events ($12.3 million).