It's not always that you're going to shoot a 29 in a major. You just want to keep grinding, keep playing. On the back nine I played pretty solid. I guess I just ran out of birdie holes.

He's a full notch behind Vijay. He's not even on the same rung. There's no major that rattles you like the U.S. Open. Last year's Open probably took a month to get over that. It's not like the Masters, where the conditions are generally the same. At the Open, they're probably already rattled going in.

I really feel good, but you can't get cocky in this game, ... You've just got to shoot the numbers.

Vijay (Singh) has set the standard for the 40-somethings and I'm not even there yet.

[What else is there for Els to do? He finally caught Tiger, but he's still not No. 1. That must seem weird to him, too. So now he has set his sights on the career Grand Slam (he already has won the U.S. and British Opens) and Vijay Singh.] I think the game is on, ... Vijay has won eight times this year; I've won four. So it's interesting.

I wouldn't say I missed it, I did not miss it for a good three months. I guess subconsciously I knew I was out. I was going to be out for a long time. I think I just wanted to shut myself off. Not watch it or read about it or anything like that and concentrate on other things in my life.