Tiger Woods returns to pro golf competition at one of his favorite events, the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club where he has won four times. Excerpts of his media news conference Tuesday in advance of Thursday’s first round. He will tee off at 1:48 p.m.:
Q: In the course of your preparation, is there anything that would have tipped you in the other direction and made you pull the plug and decide not to come back this week?
Woods: If I felt like I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I needed to or even chipping and putting, as well, but I needed to have all facets of my game come around. They all have, and we've spent a lot of time, a lot of work on this (smiling) and it's finally paid off.
Q: What did you do? I mean, did you kind of just get back to basics, all parts of it? Can you talk about how much time, range, course, playing, how much you can take us through on the process over the last eight, nine weeks?
Woods: … I worked hard. It was (sighing) people would never understand how much work I put into it to come back and do this again. But it was sunup to sundown, and whenever I had free time; if the kids were asleep, I'd still be doing it, and then when they were in school, I'd still be doing it. So it was a lot of work.
Q: Were there any issues with your back at all during that time?
Woods: A little bit here and there. But it was just from the twisting. It just gets sore also bending over and hitting so many putts, too. You stand over a putter for a couple hours, you're going to be a little sore.
Q: You’re going to play the Par 3, or that’s your plan. Can you tell us what went into that decision and who is your caddie?
Woods: I have two, actually (laughter). My two little ones are going to be out there with me. It's special. As I said, this tournament means so much to me in so many different ways.
We all know what happened in ’97 with my dad’s health, and he was pronounced well. He was dead at one point earlier that year, came back, and then came here and I won the Masters.
To now have come full circle and to have a chance to have my kids out there and be able to share that with them, it’s special. Charlie has seen me win a golf tournament before. Sam, actually she was there at the U.S. Open in 2008, but doesn’t remember it. It’s nice to be able to share these things with my family, and it just means the world to me. They are excited, I’m excited and can’t wait to go out there.
Q: No one’s game is under as much scrutiny as yours.
Woods: Really? (Laughter).
Q: Do you get tired of it, and does it come into your affection for this lifestyle and this profession to deal with that?
Woods: Well, I think it's … it's anyone's choice whether they use the Internet or not. So I refuse to go on and read what you all write, good or bad, whether you're friends of mine or not. Just choose not to go down that road.
I’ve come to the understanding that I live it. I know exactly what I’m doing out here and I’ve hit the shots, and I don’t really need someone else’s secondhand opinion of what I was thinking of. I know exactly what I was doing out there.
But it’s nice to be back and see some of my old friends out here and get back to competing again.
Q: Are you feeling old?
Woods: I'm feeling older, there's no doubt about that. Try chasing around 6- and 7- year-olds all day, you start feeling it. But the good news is my soccer game has gotten a lot better.
Q: What do you think about Rory’s powerlifting, and have you talked to him about that and maybe warned him about anything?
Woods: I encourage it. I do the same thing. You've got to be explosive. The ball is not moving. We've got to move it out there, and the only way to do that is to be fast.
Q: I think we all know that you judge success by winning, that’s your measure of success. But given where you’ve been the last few months and what you’ve worked on and so forth, is something less than that still a success?
Woods: No, I still feel the same way. … I want to win. The whole idea is to prepare and do that, and I feel like my game is finally ready to go and do that again.
Q: You had a look of disbelief when it was mentioned that it was your 20th Masters. Is it hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the Masters or 10 years since you last won it?
Woods: Both. Both. The fact that it should be my 21st, actually, with the last year, if I would have played. But to have been around that long, playing this tournament; I'm only 30 behind Gary (Player) (laughter), so a long way to go.
Q: How much did trying to get back out here, how much did this tournament specifically loom in terms of that, especially since you missed last year?
Woods: Well, as I said, this tournament is so special to me for so many reasons. There's no other tournament like it. I think it's probably most guys will probably rate it as their most favorite tournament. …
You come here to a golf course in which we play each and every year, where other majors don’t. There’s so much history involved. I just find it fascinating that they keep changing this place, it seems like, every year and it looks exactly the same, like it’s never been touched. It’s just fascinating.
Q: What is your greatest motivation?
Woods: My greatest motivation? Winning. I like it (laughter).
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