Five questions for Tiger Woods in an excerpt from his press conference on Tuesday in advance of the Masters:
Q. You've been able to prepare for this tournament, playing five events, obviously you came up here yesterday, today, whatever you were able to do at home last week, can you put in perspective just how futile ‑‑ knowing that, how futile that your attempts were the last two years trying to get ready for a tournament you obviously couldn't play?
A. Yeah, in hindsight it was a big pipe dream. My back was fried. To be able to ‑‑ I was trying, whether it was cortisone shots, epidurals, anything to take away the pain so maybe I might be able to withstand a week.
Nothing worked. My disk was gone. So given how I feel now versus then, I mean, it's just night and day. I've got ‑‑ just how I felt coming here for the dinner and when I left, and now that I'm walking this golf course and playing and hitting shots and not having to think about anything, obviously it's been less than a year since my back procedure.
> Q&A: Phil Mickelson
Q. Some people are saying that if you were to go and win here this week, it would rank as the greatest sporting comeback of all time. I wonder if you have a view on that. And in any case, what for you is the greatest sporting comeback of all time?
A. Well, I have four rounds to play, so let's just kind of slow down. I've had anticipation like this prior. If you remember the build‑up was from the PGA of 2000 to the Masters of 2001, nine months of building up, what that tournament would mean. And it's the same thing. I got to go play and then let the chips fall where they may, and hopefully I end up on top. But I got a lot of work to do between now and then.
As far as greatest comebacks, I think that one of the greatest comebacks in all of sport is the gentleman who won here, Mr. Hogan. I mean, he got hit by a bus and came back and won Major Championships. The pain he had to endure, the things he had to do just to play, the wrapping of the leg, all the hot tubs and just the ‑‑ how hard it was for him to walk, walk period, and he ended up walking 36 holes and winning a U.S. Open. And that's just ‑‑ that's one of the greatest comebacks there is, and it happens to be in our sport.
Q. Can you just take us through a little bit how ‑‑ well, first of all, are you a little bit surprised even to yourself at how much power you've been able to generate coming off a back surgery, multiple back surgeries? And if you're not surprised, or if you are, how you've kind of got there, just to be generating clubhead speeds that are comparable to what you were doing in your prime in a way?
A. It's crazy. I'll be honest with you, it is crazy. I didn't think ‑‑ I thought prior to the fusion surgery that that's pretty much it. I'll have a nice, comfortable, and great life, but I'll never be able to swing the club like I used to speed‑wise, just there's no way, lower back fusion.
But for some reason I don't have any pain. Yes, I'm much tighter, but I don't have any pain. And I've had to really work on the strength and different ways. For some reason it's come back. I wish I could tell you, I wish I knew, but all of a sudden I have this pop and my body and my speed's back and my timing. I'm hitting speeds that I would ‑‑ I hit in my prime, but, granted, my prime I was 43 1/2 inch steel driver, softer ball, and I was swinging about 126 to 129. Longer, lighter graphite, titanium, I'm able to hit balls harder now than I was then. But still the swing numbers are still up. I'm north of 120.
And that's what's the shocking thing, is I didn't think I would ever reach north of 120, and I'm cruising at 120. So that part is very exciting, because I know that if I can maintain this, I can play out here for a very long time and be able to have the length to get around pretty much any of the golf courses. It doesn't have to be specific golf courses that I have to play because some of the courses are just too big. That's not the case.
Q. Seems the game's best are all playing their best at the same time. Please take yourself out of the equation; who do you consider the favorite this week and why?
A. I don't think there's one clear‑cut favorite. I think there's so many guys playing well at the same time. I think that's what is making this year's Masters so exciting, is that there's so many guys. There's not one, just one person that's going to run away with it earlier in the year. There are guys from the early 20s to Phil at 47 that have all played well.
That's what's exciting about this year. We know we're going to have to play well in order to win, and it's going to be quite a challenge. It's going to be fun. And I think that everyone's really looking forward to it, not just from the spectators, but from the players as well.
Q. From a personal standpoint, how hard has it been for the last three Aprils to be on the sidelines? Did you put distance between us and yourself, or did you watch on television? Or how hard was that?
A. It was very difficult. Very, very difficult. The last two champions dinners I came up for, couple of years ago, it was really difficult because it was ‑‑ Arnold wasn't doing well, and Jack and I helped him into the dinner where we were going to take our photo, and then I helped him over to his table and his seat where he was going to sit down for the dinner. And that was tough to see my friend like that.
And then last year to feel so uncomfortable just sitting, because my nerve was on fire, it was going down my leg and it was just burning. So the last couple of years have been tough.
Then I've watched every bit I possibly could. I love the Masters. I will always watch it. It's ‑‑ I've played it, so I know where the guys are trying to hit the golf ball, and I said, whoa, that's going to be a tough one or, man, that's a hell of a shot, people don't realize how good that is. Things like that. I really enjoy that.
I enjoy the ambiance, the way the Masters Tournament really sets up for a dramatic finish. They know how to do it, and they do it right, from pin locations to tee setups. I just absolutely love watching it. It's more fun playing it, though.
About the Author
