Quotes From Last Week

Me and my pprrreciouss.

A selection of quotes from Sunday’s final press conference at Oakmont, following the conclusion of the 2007 US Open won by Angel Cabrera over Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by one stroke.

2007 US Open Champ Angel Cabrera talks about his special win,

Q. Have you been in contact with Eduardo Romero this week and how do you think he feels about this championship?

ANGEL CABRERA: I haven’t been around Eduardo, but I am definitely sure that he’s very happy about this win, and, well, he’s a very close friend of mine.

Q. What brand of cigarettes did you smoke and does that help you settle down?

ANGEL CABRERA: (Laughing) Well, there are some players that have psychologists, sportologists; I smoke. (Laughter).

Q. Can you talk about your childhood; how humble was the place that you grew up, and did you have to quit school to raise money for the family? And also, I read something where you didn’t learn to read or write until later in your childhood.

ANGEL CABRERA: I wasn’t able to finish elementary school. Also, I had to work as a caddie to put some food on the table, so that’s why probably these moments are enjoyed even more than the common things, yes.

Q. But was golf and becoming successful at golf important to you, to not only help yourself, but to help your family? Were you motivated by the fact that you knew you could have a career in the game and take care of the people you love?

ANGEL CABRERA: Yes, I couldn’t do anything else. I definitely had to play golf to make a living, to feed my kids and wife. So I just feel that I have no other option.

Tiger talks about missed opportunities,

Q. When you have the lead on Sunday, tied today, tied at the Masters, everybody around the country thinks you’re automatically going to win. Can you explain how hard that is to do?

TIGER WOODS: It’s not easy. We have a lot of holes to play. Just because Badds made 7 on the first hole, we still have 17 more to go; it’s not like they’re handing out the trophy on the first green.

Q. People talk about you have never came back to win a major on Sunday. Can you talk about that?

TIGER WOODS: I haven’t. I haven’t gotten it done. Put myself there and haven’t gotten it done.

Q. Can you think of anything you could do differently?

TIGER WOODS: That’s one of the things I need to go back and analyze. I felt like I played well all week and putted well. The putts I had that, I knew I could make, left-to-right, right-to-left, uphill; I powered them in there. But I had so many breaking putts that it was hard to keep my speed and line, and I kept worrying about my pace and make sure I didn’t have a second putt; I could tap it in, and if it went in, it would be great.

Q. Seemed like you were one big putt away from getting the momentum going or putting the pressure on; could you sense that, and how frustrating was it?

TIGER WOODS: You had to stay patient. It’s the U.S. Open. Even though at one point I was three back, I felt like, hey, just keep hanging in there, and you never know what can happen.
I just need to make one, then possibly two, I thought, coming in. But if I kept making pars, I would be all right, too, because I knew I would give myself a chance at the end, and that’s the way it turned out. I just didn’t make a birdie coming in.
But it turned out basically how I thought it would have. I just didn’t make enough birdie birdies.

Jim Furyk rationalizes his decision to hit driver on 17,

Q. Are you the type to take consolation from two runners-up in a row and being the only guy that’s going to shoot even par on the weekend, or do you kick yourself for that?

JIM FURYK: No one likes consolation prizes. I’m proud of the way I played, and I’m proud of those finishes. But, you know, a second is not that much fun to be honest with you; possibly third, I guess. I’m not sure what Tiger did out there.

Q. Would you have been done anything differently on 17; would you have taken an iron and laid up?

JIM FURYK: No. The play I made was the play. Now if I went back, I wouldn’t hit left of the green for damn sure.
But, no, it was the play. I would stick by that play through and through with the way the wind conditions were and the pin position was. In my mind, I made the right decision. I shouldn’t have hit the ball so far left, but I’m surprised it went as far as it did.

Q. Is last year’s course kinder than this one?

JIM FURYK: I don’t know. They both stink.

PGA Tour, US Open, Oakmont, Angel Cabrera, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk

Quotes from ASAP Sports