"I'll let my clubs do the talking," he said.
There is word of a personal tragedy Sabbatini was going through, although that can't be confirmed because he won't talk.
Sabbatini wasn't the least bit rude in declining to speak. He appears to be in good spirits, and he has spent a half-hour or so after his rounds to sign autographs, exchanging pleasantries with the gallery.
How long Sabbatini will be on mute remains to be seen, and it probably won't matter unless he plays well. Considering how his last year went, not speaking might not be the worst idea.
Sabbatini feels as though he was taken out of context, and there's some truth to that.
His basic message is that he wants to go head-to-head with Woods at every turn, which usually means he would be in contention. Woods is the best, and that's where Sabbatini wants to be. Every player should have such aspirations.
What caused pens to run out of ink were his comments after losing to Woods at Wachovia.
"No, the funny thing is after watching him play on Sunday, I think he's more beatable than ever," Sabbatini said. "I think there was a few fortuitous occasions out there that really changed the round for him. And realizing that gives me even more confidence to go in and play with him on Sunday again."
Woods was the first to concede he wasn't always hitting it where he was aiming at Quail Hollow. What made him respond was when Sabbatini said Woods was "scary" in full control of his game, and he liked the "new Tiger" better. Woods is sensitive toward criticism of his new swing, especially after it had brought him four of the last nine majors at that point.
Sabbatini never backed down because that's not his nature.
He signed up for the first tee time Wednesday at Oakmont before the U.S. Open, with Woods' name already on the list. Sabbatini played alone that day, and when someone jokingly asked Sabbatini if Woods was ducking him, he chirped, "I don't know. I'll go find out."
He walked across the putting green and began chatting to Woods, who rarely looked up, but smiled when he finally did. Sabbatini laughed, came back to a group of reporters and shared his information.
"He said he stopped playing on Wednesday at the majors a couple of years ago, and it's worked out OK for him," Sabbatini said.
Over the next few months, Sabbatini said he wanted to play Woods in the Presidents Cup because he would either win and give his team a lift or lose and be a sacrificial lamb. They were in the final group at Firestone, and Woods beat him by nine and the field by eight.
By then, they were linked as adversaries, and pulling out of the Target made the headlines even larger.
"Obviously, Rory is full of confidence," Woods said at Firestone. "He believes in what he can do, and there's a lot to be said for that."
But right now, you won't hear it from Sabbatini.
