The 2024 Open Championship kicks off Thursday at Royal Troon in Scotland but on Tuesday there was still some focus on the U.S. Open that took place last month, as Tiger Woods was asked during his press conference about how he reached out to Rory McIlroy after the crushing loss at Pinehurst.

McIlroy had a great chance of winning his first major championship since 2014 but missed two short putts down the stretch on Sunday, including a tough one on the 18th hole that helped give Bryson DeChambeau the win.

Woods said he waited a week to text McIlroy after the loss and then sent him a message saying that he’s his friend, he feels for him, and that champions are going to lose sometimes and it’s tough.

“As you know I’m your friend,” Woods said about his text. “I know this is a difficult moment. We’ve all been there as champions. We all lose. Unfortunately it just happened. The raw emotion of it is still there and it’s going to be there for I’m sure some time. The faster he’s able to get back on the horse and get back in contention like he did last week, the better it is for him.”

That’s some good stuff from Woods, who will tee off at 9:37 a.m. ET in Thursday’s first round. McIlroy goes off at 5:09 a.m. ET.

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