Top Quotes of 2016, Part 1

“Winning Ryder Cup team, hands down.” – when asked whether he would rather win a major or the Ryder Cup in 2016

''I didn’t know he was playing. I’ll probably withdraw now.’' - joking after being told Rory McIlroy is also in the field at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

''We’re tired of hearing about changes that need to be made. We’re tired of hearing about the past. And we’re ready to believe in a younger, more hungry team going forward.’' – on winning the 2016 Ryder Cup, which he called ''possibly at the very top” of his list of goals for 2016

“He’s young, and he’s got some things to learn. One of them is you don’t discuss certain things. You don’t discuss specifics of what you play for. And you certainly don’t embellish and create a false amount just for your own benefit. So those things right there are – that’s high school stuff, and he’s going to have to stop doing that now that he’s out on the PGA Tour.” – on his reaction to 17-year-old Ryan Ruffels telling the media about their match

“I don’t like it. I’m not going to PC it. I don’t like it at all. I just mentioned why I’m here. I’ve got three beautiful sponsors that love it here.” - when asked why he likes TPC Scottsdale, which he actually doesn’t

“You saw some of those putts, that’s just end-of-career stuff. I just want to enjoy it again. That’s what I said to my wife: I just want to enjoy it, I don’t care if I never win again. I need to enjoy it, otherwise might as well do something else.” - on rebounding from an apparent case of the yips

“Not yet, I’m planning to though - maybe with Brandel on my back.” - asked if he had done any squats, and making a reference to Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, who had questioned McIlroy’s weightlifting program

“There is nobody in the game of golf that I have seen that is remotely close to the level of performance Tiger was in his prime.”

“I’ve played through a lot of injuries. I’ve cost myself other tournaments by pushing through that, I’ve cost myself months and years because of it. But that’s what athletes do. They play through pain and deal with injuries. It’s part of playing sports. Has it cost me? Yeah, it has. But that’s what athletes do. They’re always pushing the envelope to compete at the highest level.” - on the impact of injuries on his career

“He had nothing else to do. He was just sitting at his home and I just called.” - on reaching out to Woods for advice

“I’ve been playing it around in my head a little bit about making the switch, and the one thing that I was sort of worried about was the McIlroy-copying-Spieth. That was my big thing.” - on switching his putting stroke to left-hand low

“You’ve switched to the dark side, I see.” - Spieth to McIlroy, referencing his new putting stroke

“I’m an idiot. I’ve had enough warnings, and unfortunately you can have a hundred good messages and one bad one, and the one bad one really pisses you off. So note to self: Don’t (expletive) read the comments.” – on how he handles negative comments on social media

“I told him he’s my hero. We’re going to get a spot for his name and put it on the building somewhere up high on the school.” – on his reaction to Rickie Fowler making a $1 million hole-in-one for Els’ autism foundation

“I think we should bring the anchored putting back. I was all for getting rid of it. Now I’m all for keeping it.” - joking after Adam Scott won the Honda Classic and WGC-Cadillac Championship

“Never seen it. I’ve heard it’s good, [but] I’ve never seen it.” – The Xavier assistant basketball coach and Bill Murray’s son, claiming he’s never watched ‘Caddyshack’

''After assessing the present condition of my back, and consulting with my medical team, I’ve decided it’s prudent to miss this year’s Masters.” – in a statement on his website

“If I hang around you guys much longer, I’ll never break 100.” - on his Masters practice round with Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, where DJ listened to their scientific speak

“I couldn’t putt with a stick. When you have snakes and stuff going up in your brain, it’s difficult.” - Els on six-putting the first hole in his first round at the Masters. He made a nine en route to an 80

“Let me tell you something, he went totally blank on the hole, and it’s happens. It absolutely happens. And your caddie can go totally blank also under the moment of all that pressure.” – on Spieth’s Masters collapse

''I can’t wait to get back to North Mid (North Middlesex Golf Club), get hammered and see my mum and brother and see them and just celebrate.” – after winning the Spanish Open

“You look across other platforms, I feel like people are starting to take notice of us as players and us as athletes, but Golf Digest seems to be the anomaly” – on Golf Digest putting Paige Spiranac on the cover of its May magazine

“That’s very, very sad, cause I would’ve given anything as a young man to have an opportunity to represent my country and possibly win a gold medal.” – captain of the South African team, on top players, including South Africa’s own, Louis Oosthuizen, skipping the Olympics

“Dude, if I could tell you, I would, because I’m sick and tired of being on the sidelines. I want to start competing against these boys. I miss it.” – during a 30-minute range session at his charity event, Tiger Jam, when asked when he will return to competition

“Fuzzy said, ‘I got 150 grand you’re never going to make it to 50.’ … So I won’t hold him up to it, I’ll just have him give me a free bottle of his vodka. That’s about it.” – after turning 50, recalling the time he claims Fuzzy Zoeller bet him $150,000 that he wouldn’t make it to 50 years old, but never shook on it

“The chipping yips are sort of always in the back of your mind, that `I hope I don’t skull it or chunk it.’ There’s a lot going on in his head, and he is so darn smart that he never forgets all the great things he does, but, conversely, he never forgets the things he does poorly.” – on Tiger Woods

“I’ve got ladies at the grocery stores putting their hand on me and going, ‘Really praying for you. How are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘My dog didn’t die. I’ll be OK. I’ll survive. It happens.’” – on how he is dealing with his Masters loss

“I was obviously very happy for him, and he 100 percent earned his Masters win. It really bugs me when people are trying to take that maybe away from him or shoot it down. The questions have been asked to him, ‘do you think this will go down as you winning or him losing,’ and that’s absolute bull, because he won and he earned it.” – on his respect for Danny Willett winning the Masters

“I don’t really get emotional when I win, but I was holding back the tears there. To play like that and finish like that, with all of my friends and family watching, was just so special.” - on his win at the Irish Open

“I like what Donald’s done, he’s turning America upside down, he’s awakening the country ... I like the guy, he’s a good man, and certainly if he’s the one on the ticket, I’ll be voting for him.” - supporting Donald Trump for President

“We’ll just jump over the wall. … They’re called the World Golf Championship for a reason. I always felt that having three of them in the United States wasn’t really spreading the game. So I think that’s good news.” – joking about the WGC move from Trump Doral to Mexico City

“If your head was a touch softer I’d be in the fairway.” – joking with the fan he beaned at the Memorial

“I had a burger during the suspension and it picked me up. Now I’m tied second.” – on his secret for birdieing three of his final four holes in the second round of the Nordea Masters

''I was quite nervous this morning. I don’t think I was this nervous when I was going for a major championship. This a very, very special feeling. And I’m really going to enjoy Hall of Fame.’' – on officially qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame

“I need my 12 hours of sleep, I get cranky,” – Watson, after finishing off a 1-under-par 69 in the suspended first round of the U.S. Open on Friday morning