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11.10 Nygifte Tiger Woods:
Pressekonferanse pr.
telefon
Tiger Woods har sin egen
turnering i desember. Target
World Challenge presented by
Williams (TWC) heter denne
turneringen. 16 av de beste
spillerne i verden stiller
opp. Turneringen spilles på
Sherwood Country Club i
Thousand Oaks, California,
8. – 12. desember.
Det er 11 spillere fra Ryder
Cup på Oakland Hills Golf
Club: Tiger Woods, Davis
Love III, Padraig Harrington,
Colin Montgomerie, Chad
Campbell, Miguel Jimenez,
Stewart Cink, Chris DiMarco,
Jim Furyk, Jay Haas og Kenny
Perry. De andre I feltet er
Vijay Singh, John Daly, Fred
Couples, Todd Hamilton og
Stephen Ames. Vinneren av
denne $5.25 millioners
turneringen over 72 hull får
$1.25 million.
Tiger Woods fikk en del
spørsmål under den
telefoniske
pressekonferansen fra
bryllupsreisen om bord på
luksusyachten i Karibien.
Han kunne fortelle at han
likte seg meget godt alene
om bord med sin kone. Han
kjenner heller ikke til
hvordan verdensrankingen
fungerer i detalj. Her er
noe av det som kom frem på
pressekonferansen for øvrig
(fra hans egen hjemmeside):
Q: Could you comment on
the progress of your game
this season?
TW: I’ve been very excited
about the way my game came
together at the end of the
year. Basically, from the
Western Open on the weekend
to now, I’ve really improved.
On top of that, the last few
tournaments I’ve played,
it’s gone up another notch.
I’m showing some great signs
for the future. I don’t have
as many things on my
checklist on each and every
shot, it’s getting smaller
and smaller, so from that
standpoint, I’m getting
closer to where I can hit a
golf shot.
Q: You’ve always said for
it to be a great year, you
would have to win a major.
Does what happened on
Barbados change that?
TW: As far as off the golf
course, yes it is a great
year.
Q: Wentworth is getting
World Ranking points for the
first time, Could you make
an argument for and against
that?
TW: We’ve been trying to get
the same for our event. With
it being a World Ranking
event now, I think we have a
good shot. They’re setting a
precedent so that we can
possibly get ours now as
well.
Q: What do you have to do
to get ranking points and
should you with only 16
players in the field?
TW: I don’t know. That’s the
thing. Wentworth is about
the same as us. It’s
difficult to say. I don’t
know exactly how the World
Ranking system works or who
to call.
Q: How did you feel the
wedding went and how do you
feel now?
TW: The wedding went great,
to have all our family and
friends there; it made it a
very special occasion. Our
families and friends are
always going in different
directions so it’s always
hard to get them all
together. We were able to do
that for this occasion which
made it even more special
for all of us. We had a
great time.
Q: You are such an
inspirational person to
minorities, do you have any
inspirational stories or
moments on the subject? For
instance, have you met fans
and happened to inspire them
or advice to young golfers?
TW: Through my Foundation
Clinics all over the country
I’ve met a bunch of kids. A
couple of kids I’ve kept in
touch with through email;
I’ve had some nice progress
reports and how they’re
doing, which is awesome.
There are so many different
occasions where we have made
a nice impact on their
lives, whether it’s been
writing or sending letters
that they’re now attending
college - where they never
thought they’d go to college
before. Some are now on golf
scholarships, some are now
interning and in volunteer
work in their communities,
so we’ve made some nice
positive impact on their
lives.
Q: Your tournament has
been such a success, would
you like to see it evolve
into a full-field tournament
like Jack and Arnie have?
TW: I really don’t want to
see that happen. I would
just like to see it be the
way it is now - a small
collection of the best
players in the world. In an
ideal situation it would be
the top 12 players and those
four picks. That would be
the ideal world, but
everybody has their own tour
they have to support around
the world and different
things going on, but we get
a great field every year, so
I can’t complain. What makes
it special for us is that we
have it right there in
Southern California where
our Foundation is. It is
also where I grew up so it
makes it a hometown flavor.
Q: Is there anything
specific you are going to
work on in your game for the
rest of the year?
TW: I think I’m going to
just keep doing what I’m
doing. Try to solidify
everything and get a couple
of Ws before the end of the
year. Last week we kind of
threw that one out because
of an injury. But, even
being injured, I had a
top-10, so it goes to show
you that with the work I’ve
done, I can play through
that, which is even better.
So I’m pretty excited about
it. The prospects of the
past month and a half, what
I’ve done, I need to
solidify it a little more
toward the end of the year.
Q: Now that the talk of
the wedding is behind you,
will that change the way you
schedule things next year?
And also, what’s next at the
top of that check list?
TW: There are still a lot of
things. I don’t really want
to get into it. As far as my
schedule next year, no, I
don’t think it’s going to
change much. I’ll play about
24 or 25 events around the
world. I’ll play what works
best for me. I find nice
balance like that throughout
my years. As far as that
checklist, I’ll work on and
continue to work on it and
I’m excited that it’s
getting shorter and shorter.
Q: How come Phil’s not
there and are you
disappointed?
TW: I am kind of surprised.
It’s not too far from his
house down in La Jolla. I
guess he’s trying to spend
some time with his family. I
know Weir is taking the
whole month of December off,
so maybe Phil is doing the
same thing as well.
Q: Just for the point of
clarification, cause some
Swedish people I met a
couple of years ago say
their surname doesn’t always
follow the same ritual as it
does in America, so are you
Tiger Nordegren or is she
Elin Woods?
TW: You’re a beauty, you
know that?
Q: What’s the answer?
TW: Nothing’s changing on my
end.
Q: Will she go by Elin
Woods now?
TW: Yes, she will.
Q: Are you going to be
back in time to play Disney
as usual?
TW: I don’t know yet. We’re
having so much fun on the
honeymoon, I don’t know if
I’ll be back or not.
Q: You sound as relaxed
as I’ve ever heard you, is
that accurate?
TW: That’s 100 percent
accurate. It’s so nice to be
on the boat, relaxing, and
just having a great time.
We’re diving every day and
just enjoying being out here
by ourselves, just chill and
relax. It’s a lot of fun.
Q: Your father played a
major role in your early
career. Did you have any
other influences?
TW: I played with a few guys
who were very accomplished
players in the Armed
Services because we grew up
near a military base. A
couple of guys were from the
Navy. They were great
golfers, a 1-handicaps or
scratch and we played every
weekend. We played every
weekend, battling each other
out. We had some great
games. My dad was a
1-handicapper, the other guy
was a one and the other was
a scratch and there I was
lagging behind at 4 or 5
handicapper. I think that’s
what allowed me to grow as a
golfer. It helped me create
shots, to learn shots.
Q: I noticed Ernie wasn’t
coming. Is he committed
elsewhere?
TW: I think he’s playing in
South Africa. He’s got his
tour down there. I know
Goosen is not playing
because he wife is going to
give birth.
Q: You, Vijay and Ernie
are like the Big Three. Does
it get your juice up playing
against those guys?
TW: It always has. If you
look at the guys I battle
the most, it’s been
Mickelson and Ernie and
Vijay over the years that
I’ve gone head to head
against the most. For awhile
Duval and I were bucking
heads quite a bit, but those
three - I’ve been going at
it with them since I’ve been
on tour, since ’97 really.
It’s been a lot of fun.
We’ve had some great battles
down the stretch, in major
championships as well.
Q: Next week Annika
Sorenstam and Michelle Wie
are playing in the Samsung
World Championship in Palm
Desert. Is there any way,
with what you know about
their game, can you contrast
where they are right now?
TW: I haven’t played with
Michelle. I’ve never
actually seen her physically
hit a golf ball. I’ve only
seen her on TV. I have no
comparison on how far she
hits it. I know Annika can
bomb it out there and never
misses a fairway. I don’t
know. For her age, Michelle
is leaps and bounds beyond
anybody that has ever played
the LPGA Tour. As far as
pure talent and ball
striking ability, but I
can’t really say a whole lot
because I’ve never played
with Michelle. It’s hard for
me to get into it. Annika
hits it super straight and
hits it so solid. We play at
home at Isleworth and most
of the things we practice on
are her putting and short
game, and that’s where I
think she can take it to
another level and if she
does that, it will be pretty
impressive.
Q: Can you say when you
settled on Oct. 5 and given
the fishbowl you live in,
are you surprised you were
able to keep it a secret?
TW: We decided probably the
middle of this year. We
didn’t tell anybody until
the last minute. They all
said, “Oh, it is? That soon?”
Yeah, well, there you go.
You can still get cheap
airfare.
Q: Can you discuss your
injury?
TW: My trainer, Keith, was
at the wedding, and we
worked everyday on it. I
still have to work through
it, but it’s feeling a lot
better. It’s still a little
bit tender, but it’s almost
back to 100 percent, which
is great.
Q: You were the only guy
under 30 on the U.S. Ryder
Cup team. You are also the
youngest at the Target.
There are some young
international players that
are up and coming, are we
doing something wrong here
in terms of developing
younger players? Is it just
stiffer worldwide
competition?
TW: I think it’s the latter,
what you just said. These
guys are getting that much
better. It’s getting harder
just to get out here. Then
once you get out here, it’s
harder to stay because you
have to shoot lower scores
than you have been shooting
on more difficult golf
course. The pool is getting
deeper and deeper. There are
still some great young
players. You still have
Sergio up there, and Adam,
who are under 30. It takes
five, six, seven years
before they really get going
on tour. For me to feel
comfortable on tour, it took
four or five years before I
got everything going in the
right direction. A lot of
these guys such as Sergio
and Adam, they play both
tours, so that have to split
times on both sides of the
Atlantic, which is not easy
to do.
Q: Do you think boys and
girls coming out should look
more to college? They seem
to be taking that leap a
little earlier.
TW: I can understand people
taking a different route if
they’ve absolutely dominated
at each and every level.
That’s what I always wanted
to do. I won at the junior
level; I won at the amateur
level and collegiate level
so when I turned pro I knew
I was ready for that
challenge. You don’t see
many guys that go from high
school to the major leagues.
You have to go through the
farm system and work your
way up. I think that’s very
similar to what you have to
do in golf. To be better at
an early age, you have to be
able to win at an early age
all the way through. If you
don’t understand the art of
winning, all of a sudden
you’re thrust into position,
more likely you will fail a
lot early if you have no
experience to draw on. When
I got into position to win,
I got nervous at Quad Cities
and I lost to Ed Fiori. I
learned from that and I knew
that I could win at any
level and I beat Davis in a
playoff at Vegas. I applied
my winning ways that I’ve
learned, how to win down the
stretch in the pro ranks. I
don’t understand why kinds
wouldn’t want to do that, go
the same route.
Q: You’ve said something
like that about Michelle
Wie. Does that still hold
true?
TW: Yeah, I think so. I look
at it this way. One of my
best friends, Bryon Bell,
we’ve known each other since
the 7th grade. He was my
caddie when I won in San
Diego, the U.S. Amateurs, a
bunch of tournaments. We go
way back. We played high
school golf together. We go
back to those memories so
much, and I can’t understand
why she wouldn’t want to
play high school golf. It’s
the time of your life, just
traveling in the bus, and
hanging out with the team
and having just a blast. And
college is the same way. You
have so much fun and do
things that make your body
feel very ill the next day.
And it’s the time of your
life and you only get to
experience it once.
Q: You just spoke about
being nervous. Do you have
any secrets or techniques?
TW: It’s great to be nervous
because that means you care.
It’s just a matter of
handling your nerves. I’ve
always been able to handle
being nervous by just going
through my routine and never
deviate from my routine.
Everyone has to develop
their own routine. If you
put a shot clock on somebody
when they step into the
ball, it should take the
same time each and every
time. If people get away
from their routine, they get
out of rhythm and hit bad
shots.
Q: What touring pros were
at the wedding? And I heard
Mark broke a bone in his
hand or something like that?
TW: Yeah he did. Well,
Cookie was there and Mark.
Notah didn’t make it because
he hurt his back and
couldn’t travel, and that
was it.
Q: Is Mark out for the
year?
TW: I think he might be out
for the American season. He
might be back after that. I
know he’s looking forward to
playing the Office Depot
Father/Son Challenge with
his son Shaun in December.
Q: Where are you and your
wife going to be residing?
TW: Right now we’re
definitely residing in
Florida, and I don’t see any
reason why we should leave.
Oh, can I mention one more
player who couldn’t make it
(to the wedding). Charles
Howell couldn’t make it
because he’s playing this
week.
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