http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/britishopen08/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=3484507

Q: Switching gears, your buddy Tiger Woods obviously put on an amazing display at the U.S. Open last month. What was going through your mind as you watched it unfold?
A: It was a little different for me because I knew how bad Tiger's knee was. There were about six people in Tiger's camp that knew how bad his left knee was -- a lot more than people had any understanding about. The doctor told him not to play. He went against the doctor's orders, told him, "Hey, I love Torrey Pines. You know what I've done there. I've got to give it a try." If he stands around that 18th green or wherever the ceremony was after winning the playoff against Rocco Mediate and says it was probably the greatest win he ever had, you've got to take him for his word. So I would say it was pretty remarkable what he did there.

Q: Did you speak with him beforehand, maybe give him some advice about that knee going into the Open?

A: We had dinner about 2½ weeks prior to the U.S. Open here in Park City [Utah], and he said, "You know, listen, it's doing better." But he always says that; he always downplays it. But I kind of know, because a lot of times, being as close as I am to Tiger, kind of being his big brother, I know what's going on. I saw him limping then. I knew it was bothering him. And I know there was a lot of speculation about how bad it actually was -- different media outlets saying different things, different players saying different things. You know, is he hurt? Is he faking it? But no one can underestimate someone's pain tolerance. He's a tough guy. We know that. You don't win the amount of tournaments that Tiger Woods has won and had the career he's had by not being an incredibly tough competitor. So if he was wincing like that, you know that he was hurting.

Q: Have you spoken with him recently? And if so, what's his mind-set right now?
A: Well, I talked to him this Sunday. While his tournament was being played in D.C., I called him just to check on him and he actually picked up. A lot of times he doesn't pick up, but he actually picked up and we chatted for a while. He said he's felt a lot of pain for the last two or three weeks, just sitting around. I said, "Is anybody around?" He said, "No, my bride's over in Sweden with our daughter visiting family and I'm just itching. I'm a little bit on edge." You know, I think he's doing well. As long as he listens to the doctors -- sometimes that's hard for a superstar, whether you're Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods or whoever, to take advice and listen -- but if he just does what he's supposed to do in the next four to five months, then come December, early January, he'll be as good as new.