Tiger on being Tiger, his foundation & his legacy

ANDY WARHOL talked about those elusive 15 minutes.

Yesterday, I finally got mine. Well, almost. It was more along the lines of half that, I'll have to check the tape. But when Tiger Woods gives you a sit-down the first time he plays golf in the Philadelphia area, why quibble?

So I didn't.

Hey, I'm not the only one who is getting to spend a little quality time with the planet's most recognizable athlete this week. But I don't think it is a super long list.

So you take what you get, and try to make the most of it, without breaking the ground rules. Not that there were really many. Understandably, there were some places you couldn't go. You try your best to work around that.

Here goes, pretty much word by word. Tiger was having lunch (two salads), but that didn't seem to be a problem. For either of us.

Daily News: So who do you like in the World Cup?

Tiger Woods: It's looking like Brazil.

DN: When you come to a new place, even though you're not the official host (of the AT & T National) any more, it seems like all eyes are still on you. Does that ever get old, or is that just part of being who you are and what you represent?

TW: I think everyone's excited about the event. We had some kind of reception when we went to Congressional (the last 3 years, in suburban Washington), and now that we're here at Aronimink I think it'll be the same thing. I just got here, but my staff and some of the players I know who are good friends of mine called and said this place is just incredible, that there's been a real buzz.

The good thing is, they're excited to see us play, and try to obviously raise as much money as we possibly can. So the more people we get out here, the better.

DN: What does your association with this tournament mean to you, since it benefits your foundation?

TW: It's everything, what I always wanted to have happen. We've been lucky enough to be able to get a PGA Tour event, and be able to showcase what we're trying to do for kids. There's no better venue to do that than having something like this.

DN: This town has been known to have some tough fans. What do you think the reaction is going to be this week?

TW: I'm sure everyone is just so excited that this event is here, all fans will come out and be respectful to all the players. It's the overall giveback of the event that everyone should be excited about, from Jon Bon Jovi's Soul fund to the Girls & Boys Clubs to ours. That's what's most important.

DN: Could you talk about the military presence, which has always been a big part of this?

TW: Well, it's been an integral part of my life. My dad had already retired from the service, but still I grew up on a military base. I played golf on a military course. I've been around service men and women all my life. I know what they do. A lot of my dad's friends, people I know now, are (soldiers). I know what harm's way they've been in, all around the globe. And quite frankly, they don't get enough appreciation. People don't realize we're still at war. You know, people forget that. And it's our way of honoring those men and women, who are serving us, trying to protect our freedom.

DN: What do you think your dad would say about all this?

TW: I think he would be ecstatic. Proud. Probably more proud than anything, with what we've been able to do with the foundation.

In 10 short years, we've been able to go from just getting started with junior golf clinics to owning and running a PGA Tour event. That's a pretty huge jump. He'd be very proud of that.

DN: Did he ever talk to you about that?

TW: At times, early on, he was basically running the foundation. Until I had enough wherewithal of understanding what it took, and what direction did I really want it to go. And once I made that decision to take over and start running it, my dad started to bow out. He gave the reins to me. We've been doing it for years now. The direction we're heading is a positive one. But I think we can do so much more.

On a global basis, for us to leapfrog, what we want to build it to, that's a pretty interesting way to go about it. We can build a learning center in D.C., but it costs $50 million. In this economy, that's almost impossible to do. On top of that, a lot of the countries don't have that type of money. So the infrastructure of what we're trying to do in D.C. might be the model to expand as we start to get into different markets around the world. It's about how we can help kids, and inspire them to make them better persons.

DN: People talk about your legacy. How much do you think the foundation will factor into that? Or will the chase of Jack Nicklaus's all-time record for majors be more important?

TW: This will be bigger than anything I do in golf, absolutely. That doesn't matter. If we're able to accomplish what we want to on a global basis, golf is second to that.

DN: Are you close to where you want to be as a player, in terms of Tiger being Tiger?

TW: It's certainly getting there. I just haven't played as many competitive rounds. To be honest with you, most people who've played the same rounds I've played have done that in February or March at the latest. Here we are in July.

DN: When you finish fourth in the first two majors, people want to know what went wrong, fairly or not.

TW: I've had a pretty good run, I think overall, when it comes to majors in my career. I haven't won every event I've played in. As long as I can give myself chances time and time again, then the wins will come.

DN: Have you played Merion or Pine Valley yet?

TW: I just landed. I don't have time this week.

DN: With St. Andrews coming up, at Pebble Beach you talked about it being your favorite major site. How much are you looking forward to going back there (for the British Open)?

TW: I'm looking forward to it. I think it's the greatest golf course ever designed. It's my favorite golf course in the whole world. Just because of when it was designed (the 16th century) and the nuances of the golf course. A 5-degree wind change can change the entire golf course. At most courses, that doesn't happen. It changes your lines, the bounces and rolls. You wonder why a bunker was put where it was, and the wind changes and then you know why it was put there.

Is that enough?

Hope so, because that's all I got. At least until next year. Same time, same room in the clubhouse.

Until then, enjoy the mixed greens. *