"So at least we don't have to play this golf course with this much wind with balata balls. That would have been interesting."

Some of us get frustrated with Tiger press conferences because he either intentionally holds back his golf knowledge or doesn't make the effort to take a question and use it to show off his insights. And of course, some insights he obviously must keep to himself to retain an advantage.

But Friday was an example of Tiger showing off his knowledge of the course while explaining why, in the nicest possible way, the golf was just a little goofy with the meeting of wind, mud and paspalum. Woods is the co-leader at -4 with Vijay Singh and Carl Petterson.

The Golf Channel video version is here, and the transcript here. The key portion worth reading:

Now, as far as‑‑ yeah, we've played in wind like this and we've played links golf, but it's no big deal because you can bump the ball on the ground.  You can throw it 30 yards short of the green and let it roll on the green.

Here, you just can't do it.  You've got to throw the ball in the air.  That's what makes it difficult is that it's a linksy‑type of feel, in which you can't use the ground at all.  Paspalum, as well as the rain, it just negates all of that.

And then when you get around the greens, some of these shots would be nice to be able to bump it but you can't do, that either, because it's too sticky.  You might be able to play some kind of driving one ‑hop‑stop shot but even then you're taking a chance.

It's just, one, you can't short‑side yourself out there, you've got to leave yourself on the fat side and give yourself some room.  And then some of these bunkers are not bunkers.  They are, you know, like either hard pan or mud.  A shot that Keegan played today on 16 was unbelievable, because it was mud down there.  And that's what can happen in some of these spots.

I had a spot on 8 today that where my feet were, I had no sand, but where the golf ball was, it was a ton of sand.  Luckily we are able to take practice swings and try to get a feel for it but it's tough out there.

Q.  Last week when you were here, and again earlier this week, you seemed to suggest you wanted some wind.  Wondering, though, if this is a little bit more than you would have hoped for?  Obviously you want it tough, but this is pretty brutal?

TIGER WOODS:  This is tough.  This is‑‑ as you said, at times, it is a little bit brutal out there because you're playing so much drift.  Even if you hook it or slice the golf ball, it doesn't matter.  It's still drifting back at the end.  And even with these new golf balls that go so much straighter, they are still drifting a lot.

So at least we don't have to play this golf course with this much wind with balata balls.  That would have been interesting.