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WGC DELL MATCH PLAY

March 23, 2016

Phil Mickelson

Austin, Texas

Q. 5-up on the front nine and you came out like gangbusters?
PHIL MICKELSON: It was a good front nine that I played, making a few birdies. It was playing very difficult with the wind and the speed of the greens and contour. I hit a lot of good tee shots in play that allowed me to play fairly progressively into the greens. That was the key. I really didn't make any mistakes. It was a good, fun match.

Q. I've followed you a lot so far this year. You are really playing well. You have to be excited about the rest of this week.
PHIL MICKELSON: I am. I'm excited about the rest of this week, I'm excited about the rest of the year. I'm striking the ball better than I have in a long time. I feel good on and around the greens. I just feel like it was a good start to the year, but it was a good thing to build on. Hopefully I'll be able to get better and better. I'm excited.

Q. A hook 'em Horns shirt.
PHIL MICKELSON: I've built some pretty good relationships with some of the guys around here at University of Texas. I'm proud to be playing here at Austin.

Q. 5-4 dominating performance in your match. What allowed you get it done so quickly here?
PHIL MICKELSON: I got off to a good start. The last four holes on the front nine, I was able to make three birdies and win a couple of holes. So that was really the key. I was 5-up at the turn and then just made pars on the back.

I hit the ball solidly, especially off the tee. I put the ball in play, which is going to be really key out here. The fairways are generous, they're very fair, but they're crucial to hit.

Q. You've played so many stroke play events in your career. You've played a ton of match play in your career. How is day one in this event different than the other day ones we see throughout the PGA Tour?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, every round here, every day is a final round where you start even. It has the intensity of a final round that ultimately over the course of six or seven matches, it wears you down. That's challenge to be on top of this event. I don't think I've ever done it. To do it I would find that to be the biggest challenge.

Q. Your game today, I mean, obviously it's a very dominating victory. Your game compared to young Matthew's?
PHIL MICKELSON: I played really well today. I hit a lot of good shots and I hit the ball very well off the tee and put it in play. In match play, that's a difficult thing. I'm usually on the other end of that, where the other player is putting in play and I'm fighting for pars. I hit a lot of fairways today and that allowed me to make some birdies on the front nine. I made three birdies on the front nine on a tough golf course. I was very pleased with the way the front nine went. With a couple of mistakes, I was 5-up and ended up making pars on the back. It was very difficult to make birdies in these conditions.

Q. You played young Matt Fitzpatrick. Had you ever played with him before?
PHIL MICKELSON: I have. I played with him in a major. I think it might have been -- what major did we play in? Maybe PGA. I played with him maybe the British Open or something. I'm familiar with his U.S. Amateur championship. I knew what a solid player he was. I knew he was a great putter. He knocked in a 15-foot birdie putt that was a very tough putt on the 5th hole. I expected it. I expected him to make it because that's the reputation he has is that he is exceptional on the greens. I was fortunate to get off to a good start and make some birdies myself.

Q. You are becoming more familiar with this golf course, your impressions of it?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's got a lot of contours on the greens. With the speed of the greens, coupled with the wind, it's a very defensive golf course. You've got to play a -- you can't play as aggressively as I like. You've got to play to certain sports. More importantly, you've got to be in the fairway, because the one fairway on the front nine -- one of the fairways on the front nine that I missed, you get a flier lie into these greens and it's very difficult to get it on.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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