Quotes of the Week: August 24, 2014

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods appeared Aug. 18 on the ‘Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.’ (Getty Images)

“He kept telling me he wasn’t done yet…We talked about a few things and he’s telling me like, ‘I’m not going to let you win a green jacket next year.’” – on Tiger Woods

“I need to lift my game quickly and get a win here or in the next few weeks and show a guy like Rory, who is kind of stretching away from the rest of us, that someone is going to go with him.”

“I think I can talk him into coming back next year… hopefully.” - on getting Steve Williams back on the bag next year

“I almost made birdie this time, though ... I knew it came off a little faster than I was expecting, so I played it a little shorter and it turned out good.” - on his adventures on the 5th hole at The Barclays

“I’m barely keeping my sanity; I’m so frustrated. I love playing in the New York area. I mean, the people here are incredible and the golf course is wonderful. I wish the par 5s were a little more exciting, but this course is spectacular.”

“Rory is definitely a step ahead of me... or 2... or 4 majors.”

“It has been a great summer for me. It has been something to look back on, and I am definitely proud of it”

“I know a win would definitely improve my chances (for Ryder Cup captain’s pick). So you know, right now, it’s just with the FedEx Cup playoffs and everything - a win means a lot from a points perspective and everything else. Got to be aggressive and go out and try to win.”

“Oh, it feels great (injured thumb)... Obviously the hard work that I’ve put in since the WGC, just to be able to get the all clear to go out there and not let the thumb injury kind of hinder what you’re trying to do in practice. At the end of the day when you have an injury and it’s slowly not going away, you kind of play little games in your head: “You’re thinking, ‘OK, when will I be back fully healthy? When can I practice again? Will I ever play the game again?”

“It was really foggy last time we were at Celtic Manor and we couldn’t see the fairway, and they were holding up play on the first hole. And someone yelled out, ‘Just follow your nose, Jim!’ which I thought it was perfect. I about fell over laughing, and the crowd I think enjoyed the fact that I saw the humor.”

“Obviously I’ve made some mistakes and I’m going to make more mistakes as the years go on and hopefully if that’s my worst mistake then I’m doing all right... You’ve got to learn from it. So the guys that wrote articles and my friends that called me out, friends that sent me different quotes, obviously I look up to them and say ‘thank you,’ because that’s how I’m going to get better. That’s how I’m going to get better as a man, better as a husband, better as a dad and last but not least, better as a golfer.”