Capelle On Golf

Tiger Woods gave his customary press conference on Tuesday at the Masters. And, as has become my custom of late, I will now attempt to add some zest to his responses.
(Note: the complete press conference can be found at ASAP.)

Tiger is asked about his chances of winning the Grand Slam.
WOODS: Well, I know I can do it. I’ve done it. It’s hard for me to sit here and tell you that it can’t be done, because I’ve done it before. It’s just a matter of winning the right four at the right time. So hopefully it will start this week for me.
CAPELLE: No, he hasn’t done it. The Grand Slam is a different animal. You only get one chance to start one each year, which puts enormous pressure on the first major. Apparently he forgot the lesson he supposedly learned about talking about his chances of winning the Slam.

Q. You’ve been so close the last couple of years, is there any part of your game that could be improved or that could maybe put you over the edge?
WOODS: I get on rolls where I make on everything and I get on rolls where I didn’t make anything. Consequently, I didn’t win the tournament.
CAPELLE: Many think Tiger is the best putter of all time, but he’s a streak putter who putts on pool tables where 5 footers are the new 3 footers of old. People tend to forget that from 2005-08 he’s failed to win three Masters and two US Opens because of poor putting.

On his rivals.
WOODS: I would say the person I’ve gone head-to-head against most has been Ernie. But Phil and I certainly have battled Majors.
CAPELLE: Tiger vs. Mickelson has happened on a few occasions in the majors. Phil finished 3 back of Tiger at the 2001 Masters and 3 back at the 2002 US Open while Tiger finished 2 back of Phil at the 2005 PGA and 3 back at the 2006 Masters. But there is no way this (or Woods vs. Els) is anywhere close to the hotly contested rivalries Jack Nicklaus “enjoyed” during his career.

On his confidence building win at Bay Hill
WOODS: It’s been a while, and a lot of uncertainty over the months upon months of rehab, and it felt great to hit shots. Like the shot I hit on 18, that felt great, to be able to take something off that little 7-iron and be able to control the flight like that. That’s something that I’ve been missing.
CAPELLE: It sounds like Tiger got the kind of competitive experience that will have him primed for a solid finish at the Masters should he be in contention, as is expected.

On the chances of the emerging young stars.
WOODS: But you look at their games, they certainly have the talent. It’s just a matter of gaining the experience.
CAPELLE: Tiger’s huge edge over everyone is his experience contending and winning so often. These young players have a mountain to climb, and they’ll discover on some Sunday afternoon that it’s a lot steeper than they could have ever imagined.

On Greg Norman in the Masters.
WOODS: He’s starting to get his feel back for the game. Hopefully he has a great week.
CAPELLE: As long as he doesn’t beat me.

On the growing depth of competition versus when he won by huge margins in 1997 and 2000.
WOODS: There are a lot more guys with a chance to win each and every week, and that’s going to be the case as time goes on. The fields are getting deeper.
CAPELLE: Actually, when there is so much competition down the list, there is less at the top because so few players get a chance to experience the kind of pressure Tiger handles routinely. So when it comes time to win, even though it’s close, he knows how, and his inexperienced competitors don’t.

On what advice he would give Rory McIlroy.
WOODS: There’s no hurry. There’s no rush. He certainly shows the talent. It’s just a matter of time before he really starts winning a lot of tournaments.
CAPELLE: Translation: I hope he doesn’t start winning bunches of majors at my expense.

On going to the press room and a typical day at the Masters.
WOODS: I think you just become accustomed to it. It’s been like this for a while. To be honest with you, Jennifer, it is what it is.
CAPELLE: And he is who he is.

On Paddy’s chances of winning the Paddy (or Tiger) Slam.
WOODS: It’s hard to peak four straight times. There’s a lot of factors that go into it: Having your game come together, playing well at the right time, and on top of that, getting the right breaks.
CAPELLE: The luck factor that is never factored into the post game analysis when Tiger wins. Case in point: the 2000 PGA. His wayward drive on the final hole of the playoff could have easily cost him the tournament, but he caught a huge break, made par, and won by a shot. No luck there, no Tiger Slam.

On how course changes at the Masters affect scoring.
WOODS: You don’t go out there looking to shoot super-low rounds because they are not out there anymore, especially with these conditions that we have the last two years. If it calms down, and I’m sure you can probably shoot one of those good numbers, but there’s going to be a different way of doing it.
CAPELLE: Tiger reveals his knowledge of strategy and how he sets realistic goals based on course conditions.

Did you have to re train your mind that you can win tournaments, especially Majors?
WOODS: The mind part, no. You enter a tournament to win.
CAPELLE: He plays to win while so many of his competitors play for the money because they can make a fortune without winning, and because they have conceded the top spot to Tiger.

On making clutch putts and willing the ball into the hole.
WOODS: Certainly, I have missed putts when I’ve had the chance to win a tournament or force a playoff. But I’ve also made my share, as well.
CAPELLE: That’s the truth, even though the media would have you believe that he makes every putt when he has to.

On how having kids has changed his life.
WOODS: You know, no matter how bad your day was on the course, it’s not that bad when you come home.
CAPELLE – It may not be that bad at home, but by the time he gets to the course the next day that lesson is forgotten because he’s still got one of the worst tempers in golf.

Q. Did you think you would get this close to Jack’s record this quickly?
WOODS: No, I would never have foreseen myself winning this many Championships this soon. But I’m not going to say it’s a bad thing, either.
CAPELLE:  Anything is possible when you don’t have great players like Palmer, Watson, and Trevino to contend with like Nicklaus did.