U.S. Open Blog
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
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Tiger's Knee And More
by Ken Klavon USGA
Tiger came in to talk. As usual, it was a spectacle. Media jammed the place. Normal. But there was a little apprehension in the air because Tiger hasn't played in two months. He admitted that he's not 100 percent and he's not sure what to expect.
Some scribes are thinking he may not make the cut. I'm not sure of that because, as we've all learned, never bet against Tiger.
One question asked of Tiger was what he thought of the penal rough. Tiger's response said that you have to go lateral out here, to which one writer close to me cracked, "When have you ever seen Tiger go lateral out of the rough anywhere?" It was funny at the time.
Another one asked about his grouping with Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson. "I think it's exciting for fans, exciting for the players. We're all looking forward to it. I haven't heard one negative thing about it. .... We're usually spread out. You don't get pairings like that until Saturday or Sunday."
He went over the setup briefly. "It's totally different than what we play here in January."
Perhaps the most biting question addressed his Web site and his ability to control his message. Tiger isn't the most accessible player for many obvious reasons. It's rare that you'll get a one on one, almost impossible. Much of that stems from an article written about him more than a decade ago in which he felt burned. Anyway, he talked about controlling his message.
"It's a way for me to basically say what's on my mind. I can say it to a few of you guys, but not all of you. So it is a way for me to communicate, because as everyone knows, I'm a little shy and a touch guarded at times and this is a way for me to express myself in a way that I normally don't."
Shifting gears, Pat Perez also made a visit. There couldn't be anyone happier to be in the field than this PGA Tour player. That's because he grew up playing Torrey Pines. Well, he became acclimated when he was 13. He talked about sleeping in his car, which they still do, when he was younger. "I loved it. When you're a kid getting out of the house, you get more freedom. I loved it."
