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WACHOVIA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 5, 2005

Phil Mickelson

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Q. I'm just wondering what this has got to be like after a few weeks off. How do you feel about the end result today?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, it was playing difficult this afternoon. I'm not displeased with 1-under. Obviously it's not the start I would like, but it certainly wasn't bad, and I kept the ball in play and hit some good shots, just didn't get a lot of birdies like some guys ahead of me.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's round, and hopefully in the morning it will be a little bit calmer with the wind and maybe I'll be able to get at more pins.

Q. Was there an unusual feel out there with Tiger and Vijay and Sergio all around the same groupings?

PHIL MICKELSON: It was unique, it was cool. We don't get that too often.

Q. The second shot on 10 where you hit the guy, did you say anything to him or did he say anything to you about the shot in general?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I tagged a couple people. The 10th hole I hit somebody. Fortunately it one-hopped in the chest and it wasn't too bad. But on 9 I hit a gentleman in the head and he had a decent amount of blood. I feel terrible. I certainly wasn't trying to hit it there, but to have it happen, it was not the greatest finish for his day.

Q. On 10 it gave you a chance for birdie?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, it gave me a chance to get it on the green. I still had to make a decent-sized putt. It's not like I had an easy chip. Sometimes we get some fortunate breaks.

Q. Was that off the tee?

PHIL MICKELSON: Second shot, I airmailed the bunker on the left and it was going way over the green.

Q. Was the guy all right?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, it didn't hurt. It was the last hole that I hurt him pretty good, I think.

Q. Was that guy all right?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, he was okay. He was okay.

Q. What do you say to somebody? Did you say something to him?

PHIL MICKELSON: Not like it's going to make him feel better, but you certainly apologize.

Q. Do you give him a ball or something?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, give him a ball and glove and stuff, but it's not like --

Q. It's not going to make it hurt less?

PHIL MICKELSON: It's not like it's going to make it feel better.

Q. What is the most challenging aspect of this golf course?

PHIL MICKELSON: The tee shot I think is certainly difficult because the fairways are firm; the ball will run through some of the doglegs. But I think the most difficult element of this golf course are the greens because they don't have consistent slopes. They have a lot of double breaking putts and a lot of different breaking putts. It will break a lot to the left and a little bit to the right and then it changes. It's very difficult to read these greens. I had a tough time last year, and I didn't fare much better today.

Q. Do you feel confident having those rounds under your belt going into the next three?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, the more you play the course, the more you start to see the proper reads on the greens. Last year was my first year. I really struggled with the greens. I think it's getting a little better than last year.

Q. Did you feel errant today hitting those couple of shots?

PHIL MICKELSON: No, I didn't feel errant. I felt like I drove it and kept the ball in play and hit some good shots. I had a couple of poor ones, which was expected. I was a little rusty. I kept it to only two bogeys and wasn't disappointed in that at all.

End of FastScripts.

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