Tiger Woods spoke Tuesday ahead of the U.S. Open this week at Pebble Beach.
Woods won at Pebble in 2000 by a record 15 shots in an event considered by many to be the single best golf ever played on the pro circuit.
Woods, 43, seeks his 16th major championship and his 82nd PGA Tour victory. He would tie Sam Snead’s all-time win record with a title Sunday.
“It’s been a while since we played the U.S. Open here and there’s nothing like a U.S. Open setup at Pebble Beach,” he said. “The greens are slanted. Very small targets.”
Woods skipped his practice round Tuesday, saying he wanted to “save energy” and wanted to take a “rest day.”
Woods’ caddie at Pebble in 2000, Steve Williams, is now looping for Jason Day. “Stevie’s been a round for a very long time, long before my career,” Woods said. “He’s got a wealth of knowledge. Jason is trying to tap into that knowledge and turn his game around.”
While Woods’ historic win at Pebble was 19 years ago, it was still a big subject Tuesday. He said much has changed, but recalled how he was able to amass his historic 272.
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“I did not hit every green. I did not hit every fairway, but always had the proper angle. It gave me the best chance to get up and down. And I poured everything in.”
Woods tees off Thursday alongside Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose in Round 1 of the 119th U.S. Open from the first tee at 5:09 p.m. ET.
You can watch a replay of Woods’ Tuesday press conference here.
Woods also talked about his U.S. Open prep in an interview with GOLFTV. Woods has a partnership with the digital outlet.
