Moments after an eagle at the last had given Tiger Woods a remote chance of US Open success, the world number one hit back at former coach Butch Harmon. Speaking on Thursday, Harmon said Woods was "in denial" about his poor form.
But Woods said: "I don't understand why he would say anything like that, especially when we've been close.
"He does not know what I'm working on. I don't understand where he is coming from. It doesn't do himself or anyone any good to do that."
The eight-time major champion struggled with his game for a third straight round, missing a host of fairways off the tee.
But his two on 18 gave him a 73 for four over, nine shots adrift of leader Retief Goosen.
"That definitely put me back in the tournament," Woods said. "If the wind blows and I play a great round of golf, I can still win the tournament."
Afterwards, Woods was quickly pressed into commenting on the coach he parted company from in 2002.
"We've resolved everything, I thought," he added. "I thought everything would have been cool.
"Maybe he's just trying to be, on TV, more controversial. I don't know. I haven't had a chance to talk about it, so I can't say what was on his mind at the time," said Woods.
Harmon, who now coaches leading players such as Adam Scott and Darren Clarke, said earlier this week: "Tiger Woods is not playing well, he is not working on the right things in his golf swing, although obviously Tiger thinks he is.
"He should have felt 'I could win this tournament by six, seven, eight shots'. That was the old Tiger Woods.
"But for him to stand there at every one of his interviews and say 'I am close, I feel really good about what I am doing', I think it might be a bit of denial."
Woods has not won a strokeplay title on the PGA Tour since the WGC-American Express Championship last October, and is without a victory in his last seven major starts.
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Maybe he's just trying to be, on TV, more controversial 
