Playing golf with President Donald Trump
“For a person who is 70 years old, he hits it hard. He really goes at it. I can understand how he can play and be a low-handicap player.
“But I think he might be a little bit more busy now, so I don’t think he’ll be getting as many rounds in. That handicap might start screeching up a little bit.
“I have played with President Obama. We had a great time. We played at the Floridian, just north of my house. Even though it was a little cool, we had just a great day.”
The Australian Open tennis finals
“I haven’t talked to Roger [Federer]. I texted Rafa [Nadal] a little bit, and he was obviously pretty bummed. He played his heart out and I think that extra day of rest for Rog meant a lot.
“Serena [Williams] is a good friend of mine and we were texting back and forth. I was very proud of her for what she did, for her to battle through the injuries she’s gone through.
“And her sister Venus has Sjogren’s [Syndrome, an autoimmune disease]. She doesn’t know if she can get up each and every day, forget playing tennis. It’s pretty remarkable that all of them got to that point.”
An open letter from Matthew Southgate, a European Tour professional, saying Woods had inspired him to get back to golf after his battle against cancer
“It hits you deep. I’ve heard of stories like that. You have to understand with the background that I have, being part of the military. I know a lot of guys who have been wounded and who go back for more, even though they have been shot up pretty good. Those, to me, are heroes. I look at that, and for someone to consider a golfer that way is pretty enlightening.”
Being beaten by Thomas Bjorn in the 2001 Dubai Desert Classic
“I keep telling Thomas he got lucky when he beat me because, I had never done this before, but I shot three straight 64s that week.
“Unfortunately, one was a Pro-Am. And so any time I get it going in a Pro-Am and I make a few birdies, there will be a couple strange numbers that Joe [LaCava, his caddie] will give me, and I’ll hit a ball either in the water or a bunker, and I say: ‘I get it’.”
Whether he thinks about his legacy in golf
“I try not to go down that path, because I like to consider myself a player and a guy that is playing out here and competing.
“I know I’ve been away from it for a long period of time. But that just got me thinking about other business opportunities. As far as the golfing side of it, I know I’ve accomplished some pretty neat things over the course of my career so far, and I hope I can continue.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
