14 things we learned from Tiger Woods' pre-Open news conference
Tiger Woods has spoken to the media ahead of the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon. Here is everything he had to say...
Tiger Woods will compete in his 23rd Open Championship at Royal Troon this week.
Woods, 48, has won the claret jug three times during his illustrious career.
He met with the media on 16 July ahead of the major which begins on Thursday.
The golfer will be playing the first two rounds alongside Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.
Here is everything we learned from his pre-tournament news conference.
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Royal Troon is 'gettable'
"Overall, it's one of those courses where you're going to get it on one of the nines," he said.
"Half of the holes are going to be playing really difficult, and the other ones are definitely gettable."
He's been working harder than ever in the gym
"We've been busting it pretty hard in the gym, which has been good," he said.
"[The] body's been feeling better to be able to do such things, and it translates on being able to hit the ball better.
"[I] can't quite stay out there during a practice session as long as I'd like, but I'm able to do some things that I haven't done all year, which is nice."
Why he turned down the Ryder Cup captaincy
Woods said he barely has time for his current schedule.
His role in the PGA Tour's peace talks with LIV Golf's backers is the priority, plus he's also launching TGL next year.
"I just didn't feel like I would be doing the captaincy or the players in Team USA justice if I was the captain with everything that I have to do," he said.
He reiterated his belief that he can win again
"I'll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event," he said.
He wasn't happy with Colin Montgomerie
Monty called for Woods to retire last week, suggesting the aura around Woods has vanished.
The Scot asked: "What the hell is he doing?"
Woods fired back, firing back: "Well, as a past champion, I'm exempt until I'm 60. Colin's not.
"He's not a past champion, so he's not exempt.
"So he doesn't get the opportunity to make that decision. I do."
The Postage Stamp is a 'simple hole'
The par-three eighth at Royal Troon has been touted as a potential hiccup hole for many.
Bryson DeChambeau said the scores could be 'diabolical'.
Woods disagreed.
During his practice sessions, he's hit a 9-iron and a pitching wedge.
"I've hit as much as a 7-iron," he said.
"But it's a very simple hole; just hit the ball on the green.
"That's it. Green good, miss green bad. It doesn't get any more simple than that."
There are days he wished he wasn't so involved in the PGA Tour
Woods was appointed to the PGA Tour's policy board two months after the 6 June framework agreement with LIV's financiers was announced.
His appointment came with no clue as to what length of time he will serve on the board.
It could be argued he is the de facto commissioner.
But there are days he wishes he wasn't in the board room.
"I never would have foreseen myself doing this," he said. "It's a lot of work.
"It's enjoyable in the sense that I'm able to help the Tour and I'm able to help the next generation of players.
"Now the players that are coming up now, they have equity in the Tour, and that's never been done in any major sport in history.
"It's a way of me giving back to the game in a different way other than just playing.
"But, yes, there are days I wish I had a sand wedge and I had a driver out and I was out hitting golf balls instead of sitting in the three-hour subcommittee meeting."
He waited a week to console Rory McIlroy over his US Open collapse
"I just sent him a nice text," he said.
"That was it. I waited a week before I sent it. I wanted to let it calm down, and I didn't want it to be -- didn't want him -- I know he was being besieged by a lot of different things going on, and just let it cool down for a week.
"Then I sent him a nice text, and that's it."
He told McIlroy the raw emotion will be there for 'some time'
Woods said his message to McIlroy said: "I'm your friend. I know this is a difficult moment. We've all been there as champions. We all lose."
He did not seem keen on the idea of being a potential Ryder Cup vice captain
"He hasn't asked me," Woods said when asked if he would embrace the idea of being on the team in a leadership capacity by captain Bradley.
He hopes to be the 2027 Ryder Cup captain
The biennial dust-up heads to Adare Manore in Ireland in 2027.
The course is owned by Woods' good friend JP McManus.
"I'll put my hat in the ring again when I have more time and I feel like I can devote myself to a Ryder Cup," he said.
Woods insisted progress is being made with the PIF of Saudi Arabia
Understandably and unsurprisingly, Woods didn't divulge too much information over what is happening with the PIF.
He said he was happy with the way things are going.
"I can tell you we're making progress," he said.
"I can't tell you more than that just because we're not going to negotiate on the outside. We've got to keep everything at a high level and private, but things are moving and things are changing.
"It's evolving each and every day. There's e-mails and chains and texts and ideas that we bounce back and forth from both sides."
Woods said the Tour was also conscious of how the deal will be scrutinised with the US Department of Justice.
He won't take someone else's spot in the signature events
Woods was given a lifetime exemption to compete in the PGA Tour's signature events going forward.
He said it was 'nice' of the Tour's membership to agree that.
But he won't take someone else's spot.
"Hypothetically, say there's 72 players in the field at each one of the signature events," he said.
"If I want to play, I'll be the 73rd player. There will be an odd man and be a twosome out or whatever.
"I'm not going to take another person's spot.
"Even though it's nice of them to do that and ask me to play more often and have that ability to play signature events, these guys have earned their spots, and I'm not going to take that spot away.
"But if I can be included somehow, that would be great. It is nice to be able to be included, but I'm not going to take anyone's spot."
The most crushing defeat of his entire career?
"Probably the hardest loss to get over was the Y.E. Yang loss," Woods said.
Yang, then ranked 110th in the world, defeated Woods in the 2009 PGA Championship.
The South Korean was crowned the 'Tiger Killer' after the hall of famer lost a major championship on a Sunday for the first time ever after having the 54-hole lead.
"That took a little bit of time to get over that because I had made some pretty stupid mistakes in the middle part of the round," Woods said.
"I made a huge rally at the end, but too late. I made too many mistakes in the middle.
"You can't afford to make the mistakes that I made and expect to win tournaments. I know better than that."
