QUESTION: It's so great to have you with us, Madame Secretary. You've been following the golf for a couple of hours today.

SECRETARY RICE: I have. I've been out for a couple of hours. It's been wonderful. I've gotten to meet some of the golfers and this is a great event because, of course, the PGA Tour is supporting our troops just marvelously. And I've had a chance to sit with some of the wounded warriors and with some of our Special Forces guys just back from deployment and it's wonderful to see this kind of support.

QUESTION: Tiger Woods has given up a lot.

SECRETARY RICE: Yes.

QUESTION: He's just in the prime of his career.

SECRETARY RICE: Yes, yes.

QUESTION: To bring this event to this area, what does it mean to all of you?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, it means a great deal. First of all, it's been great for the city of Washington having golf come back to Washington and having it come back with Tiger Woods and the top four or five players who are here and then the support to the troops, the Pentagon is just so grateful. They've been giving people a way to help the troops through -- supporting the troops, but it's really wonderful.

QUESTION: I have to ask you this. You were pretty close to the action there on Phil Mickelson's --

SECRETARY RICE: Yeah. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: -- adventures at 16 and he was very excited about meeting you at the White House the other night. I don't think this was the way he wanted to reintroduce himself. Were you a little too close to the action?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, no, it was fine. But I'll tell you, I recognize that wicked hook from my own game so -- (laughter). But you know, he's a great player and I know he's had some injuries and he's trying to come back from that. But then he made an unbelievable chip there to at least get a double on that hole, so he's a fantastic player and he's a really, really wonderful person. I really enjoyed meeting him and enjoyed meeting his wife.

QUESTION: The feeling was likewise, I am very sure. You mentioned your game just there.

SECRETARY RICE: Yes.

QUESTION: A little bit of a hook in the game.

SECRETARY RICE: My brand new game. I've been a golfer now for -- it'll be two years in August and I'm enjoying it immensely. I find it's one of the things that really gets me out, gets my mind clear, and I really enjoy it.

QUESTION: One other thing that's definitely of note, you were Stanford University's Provost while Tiger Woods was there --

SECRETARY RICE: I was. I was.

QUESTION: -- as a student.

SECRETARY RICE: That's right.

QUESTION: How much interaction did you have with him while he was there?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, I just met him once or twice. As a matter of fact, we were just talking; the last time that we saw each other, we were at a Stanford-Duke basketball game for the John Wooden Classic and Stanford hit a beater -- a buzzer beater to beat Duke and we all rushed out onto the court, so that's the last time I saw Tiger Woods.

QUESTION: Did you know that I went to Duke?

SECRETARY RICE: Oh, dear.

QUESTION: Or did he tell you to say to -- he always ribs me --

SECRETARY RICE: I'm sorry.

QUESTION: -- about going to Duke.

SECRETARY RICE: I'm sorry. Well, --

QUESTION: This is a special moment here.

SECRETARY RICE: Well, you know, it was a great moment. It was a three pointer -- (laughter) -- beat the number one-ranked Duke team, but Stanford and Duke have a great rivalry.

QUESTION: I think he put you up to it.

SECRETARY RICE: Yeah, yeah, certainly.

QUESTION: Okay. Dr. Rice, it's an --

SECRETARY RICE: It's a pleasure.

QUESTION: -- absolute pleasure to be with you.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you.

QUESTION: I won't let this get in the way of our friendship. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY RICE: You've got it. Thanks. Take care.

QUESTION: Have fun back out on the grounds.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you.

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