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Tiger Woods meets with the media (11:28)

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Tiger Woods discusses his competition for 2012 WGC-Accenture Match Play, and where he sees finishing against the rest of the field.

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-Welcome in to this special edition of Golf Central. I'm Whit W...

-Welcome in to this special edition of Golf Central. I'm Whit Watson. In preparation for this week's upcoming event in Tucson, many of the players meeting the media earlier this week including Tiger Woods. -Yeah, I've been here a while. As you say, I just walked in from the parking lot, so-- It-- It is-- It is good to be back. I know that from what I hear, some of the guys who played yesterday, the golf course is in phenomenal shape again and looking forward to getting out there and getting a feel for it. - Your recent putting struggles-- -Uh-huh. -is it more mental or mechanical and how do you solve them? -Well, basically, I only putted really poorly in probably, what, two-- two of my rounds this year, so it's not too bad. - Does the final round have something to do with it? -No. I putted great on the final day at Abu Dhabi. I made everything, but unfortunately, they're all for pars, but-- and I hit the ball a little bit closer on that Sunday. The past Sunday was awful. I putted-- As well as I putted on Saturday, I putted that bad on Sunday. -What appeals to you about this format? -Well, it's just that-- Well, one, it brings us back to how I think all of us grew playing. You know, we all played match play in our clubs. We all played junior amateur stuff that were all match play events. And as a weekend week out, we play stroke play. So, we don't get this opportunity to go head-to-head very often. And generally, this is-- it happens, what, not-- not so often you get a guy head-to-head in the same group. Sometimes, it's in different groups, guys two groups ahead or you're a group behind or something like that then you go head-to-head, but you're not eyeball-to-eyeball. Here it's eyeball-to-eyeball and it's just one-on-one. -Gonzalo-- Anyone who draws you is going to get a lot of media attention. He gave you a lot of praise,-- -Uh-huh. -but he would say in fairly short interview a couple of times-- -Uh-huh. -I think he's beatable. -Uh-huh. -I think I can beat him. And he also repeated he's not playing at his best. -Uh-huh. -There's been a history of people who have made comments like that to you at this event. What's your reaction to those comments? -I feel exactly the same way as he does. I feel he's beatable too. -Have you ever played with him? Have you ever met him? -No. I've seen him before on ranges, generally on the European Tour. I've-- I did see that when we were in Australia, he played in Barclays and ended up winning there. So, I ended up seeing that-- that playoff ironically enough because we we're in Oz and it was live, but I'm not-- I don't think I've ever met him, but-- but I've seen him a few times over-- over the years in Europe. -Knowing that you don't have 72 holes, you only get 18 for that one day, do you prepare for this event differently because of the format difference? -Well, it is-- it is a sprint. It is a boat race. You know, there is-- You-- You have to get off to quick start. Generally, if you get down early, two or three down, those-- you rarely come back. It's just-- It's hard to make up ground when you're only playing 18 holes. The 36 holes, you know, over at Wentworth or the 36-hole final here, things like that, you can make a come back, but 18 holes is tough. It-- It puts such a premium on getting off to quick starts and the guys who do-- who were up early generally win-- winning the matches. -So, do you carry yourself on day 1 like it's day 4 on stroke play? -Absolutely, a 100 percent you have to 'coz-- In theory, which I've had before, shot 65 and you're going home. That's just the way it is. And that's just the nature of this-- this format. You have to go low. But there are some matches, I remember, I think it was Monty playing maybe Poult or somebody or-- it was a Monty match, it was at LaCosta, the winner shot 79, but only 18 holes. So, that-- that can happen too, but you just don't know. You don't know who you're-- who you're gonna get or how they're playing. In either case, you're gonna have to go out there make birdies. -You were up-- up at Phoenix a few weeks ago and I know the fans up there they're still very confident that you-- you'll play that tournament. Is it possible? -Absolutely. Certainly possible. There's no doubt. I mean, I've had-- I've had great times when I played there. Obviously, it's been a while since I've been back and, you know, I don't think they quite have the libations as close as they did on 16 as when I-- when I holed out. -Tiger, regardless of the number next to your name, all you've got to do is win 6 matches. -Yeah. -With that said, as candid as you are, what's it like to come here as [unk]? -You know, it doesn't really matter if you're 16 or 5. It doesn't-- it doesn't matter. Once you're in, you're in. Any guy can win any match. We've seen-- We've seen that over the years. And it's totally different. The world rankings are done over a two-year revolving period. That's how we get to this point. Two years. And here it's just one-- not only just-- not one day, but one round. And sometimes, it's not even 18 holes. -So, anybody can beat anybody at this level and that's what makes it so interesting for us as players, I'm sure for the fans as well, is that you can see guys go out there play well and go home. And it certainly makes it difficult sometimes for TV. You don't always have the marquee names in the final, but that's just the nature of this format. -How does what others say motivate you, if at all, honestly? -You know, it-- it used to quite a bit when I was younger, but you know, as I've matured and-- and gone beyond that, it's just an opinion. It's their own opinion. Everyone has a hole and, you know, and it's just like that, so that's kind of how I look at it. It's their prerogative. it's their opinion and what matters is, you know, when I go out there and how I play and how I'm progressing in my game. And you know, at-- at the end of the day when I'm retired, I think I will have amassed a pretty good record. -Tiger, you mentioned putting. If ever there was a course that would test you-- that part of your game-- -Uh-huh. -it's this course here, how do you like this course as far as match play goes and the format? -Well, it's-- one, it's tricky because you have to hit the ball well here no doubt to give yourself good putts because the greens have a lot of movement on 'em. You know, we have a drive on par 4. Most of the par 5s are-- are reachable. Sometimes, they muck around with that one par 5 on the back 9 and move it up a hundred yards, but it's-- it's just the nature of-- of this golf course is that a lot of swing match-- swing things can happen during matches. Guys, you know, can be in good positions and still lose holes here. When we were at LaCosta playing there, that didn't-- that didn't really happen. Here it can certainly do that in a heartbeat. -Would you like to see this tournament stick around at this venue? -I see no reason why it can't. This is a-- a wonderful venue. I think that here at Dove Canyon-- I'm sorry-- Dove Mountain and, you know, the Ritz, you know, I think everyone enjoys the facilities. And you know, I-- I think as-- from a player, it provides so many different options that it's wonderful for match play. -[unk] chance. -Tiger-- -Yeah Janice. -I know you've been asked this most every time you've been out this year, but the swing changes with Sean, are they now to where you don't have to think about it so much when you're playing, are they becoming more automatic? -You're always thinking about it. At least I'm always thinking about it. I was like that with-- with Butch. I was like that with John prior to that, and Rudy, and Hank. It's-- It's all the same. You're always thinking about it. But there are times when yes, it feels more natural. The-- The patterns are certainly more ingrained and that's how I feel now, but certainly I do think about it. There are certain days when, yeah, it's a little off and you have to go fix it. This game is fluid and we have to make those adaptations. -Tiger, you once wrote that like a lot of 20 years olds you never saw a putt you didn't like. -Uh-huh. -How has that changed over the years? -Every putt can be buried. -Every putt can be buried? -Absolutely. -So, your self-belief is that your fearlessness you would characterize it as the same as always? -Oh yeah. -What did you do last week, Tiger? Go home? -Yeah, I was with the kids all week. And as you can tell, I'm-- I'm a little nasally trying to come back from a-- a-- a cold. Once they bring it home, we all get it. So, the kids have been a little sick and a little under the weather so trying to get them through that. -One more on that side please. -So, you say that you're always thinking about your swing thoughts. Do you think about them when you play or just when you're practicing? -No, when I play because, you know, different shots require different feels. Different shots-- I mean, certain days it's-- it's easy. You just go out there and hit-- see a shot and hit it. Other days a little more difficult. And I think that is what you'll find with every player. -What's a hard shot for you now? -What's a hard shot? -What's the hard shot for you now? -Probably carrying it 370. That's tough. -Alright, last question from [unk] reporter. -Yeah. -When I play a round and I have a bad shot, I tend to get frustrated. So, I was wondering how you get back into balance after a bad hole? -Well, I think that's a good thing you get frustrated because obviously you have expectations of what you can do, what you can accomplish. And I think that's good. I would challenge you to try and channel that type of energy and that frustration into focus for the next one. There are times when, yeah, I get angry, and I get angry on purpose to get my energy up, so that I-- I will be focused for the next one, more so than I was at a previous one. -And we're joined in the studio by Charlie Rymer. So, what do you take away from what Tiger had to say? -Well, it was interesting mix of vinegar and a little bit of humor wrapped in there as well. I-- I think that Fernandez Castaño might have gone to where he'd need to go when he mentioned casually that he felt like Tiger Woods is beatable. Tiger Woods, I love his queries 'coz I feel the same way he does. I think he's beatable as well and sort of a quick little smile. I like seeing that from Tiger though, a nice little motivational tool. You think about Michael Jordan, he used to play the same sort of mental games. And when you get to that level, it's-- it's always just a-- any little edge you can get, any little game you can play, remember when you go out in match play, a lot of players will play the golf course, I think Tiger might be one that maybe plays the golf course and the opponent. It might something that Fernandez Castaño maybe wishes he didn't say. -Finally and in general, if you were in this position playing at the match play, do you play the golf course or do you play the opponents? -You know, I think it's a lot easier just to go out and play the golf course. And-- And it's a strategy that a lot of players use because if you start trying to play the opponent and react to what the opponents do and all day long, if you start trying to use a little gamesmanship, trying to get a little cute, a lot of times it can backfire on your way. -For all the very latest on the Accenture Match Play, you can keep it tuned to Golf Channel and golfchannel.com.
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