Q. Phil, can you talk about 14? I guess their retaining wall --
PHIL MICKELSON: I got very lucky on 14. I blocked my tee shot way left. I had missed it right there in the practice rounds and in yesterday's competition -- yesterday's match. So I wanted to make sure I played down the left side. I blocked it into the hazard, it hit the rock wall and came across, and was out of the hazard. I didn't have much of a shot, I was right behind the bridge. And I hit an 8-iron down there. I hit a good L-wedge, threw it to the hole -- did they show it on television? Flew it to the hole, it skipped 10 feet past, and it came back 35 feet short of the hole. It just -- the greens are like trampolines, trying to get the ball close, and they're so spongy, but I made a very good putt. I was on Brad Faxon's line, and he made a good putt, and missed it on the right edge, I gave myself more break, and it went in.
Q. You had 15 -- your approach to the green, you hit it way past the hole, right, and it spun back to like five feet?
PHIL MICKELSON: No, that was Brad. On 15 Brad hit a great wedge shot to about 6 feet. I was -- I pulled my drive. I hit a good shot right at the pin, but it came up short in the bunker. I was on a downslope. Hit a really good shot, and got it just inside Brad's ball, which I thought was important, because I wanted -- I had a chance to see his line. And he hit a good putt there, too, and it just missed low, and there again I played a little more break, and was able to make it and pulled a tie.
Q. In a tournament like this, what kind of player can be more frustrating to go up against, a guy like Tiger who has not had a bogey in the whole thing and is playing well or a guy like Kevin Sutherland who is pulling things out of hats and stuff like that? What's more difficult to go up against, a steady player or --
PHIL MICKELSON: If Tiger hasn't made a bogey, that's very impressive, because that means you've got to make birdie to win a hole. That's the toughest to play against.
Q. Particularly in these conditions?
PHIL MICKELSON: Under any conditions.
Q. Any match play?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah.
Q. Psychologically is it tough when a guy -- you think he might be out of the hole and he just --
PHIL MICKELSON: Not really, because if you're into the match, you're really not ever thinking that you've got a hole won.
Q. We last saw you at Torrey, you said you were going to work on specific things after that Sunday final round. Is that what you've done?
PHIL MICKELSON: I have worked hard this past week. I've hit a lot of good shots, some sloppy ones, too, I felt like I hit a lot of good shots, especially the front nine today.
Q. Stuff that you found out from Torrey Pines that you're specifically working on?
PHIL MICKELSON: No, just a couple of subtle changes I wanted to make in my swing.
Q. Because this match play is so dicey, what's your mind set about having reached the second round, is it kind of a little bit of a relieve?
PHIL MICKELSON: You mean the third round?
Q. The third round, I'm sorry.
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, this is the way I look at it is I was in -- the got knocked out the third round the first time I played this event, so that's a hurdle for me. I want to focus in on tomorrow's match, and see if I can get past that point. I'm going to play either Mike Weir or Jerry Kelly. And Mike Weir is obviously playing terrific. He's on a tear, and Jerry Kelly has played great West Coast in the past, he's been playing well, too. Either match is going to be tough. And I don't really want to look ahead. I have no idea who I would play -- who the winner of that match tomorrow will play, and I don't want to know, I want to focus in on this one match. As soon as you let your guard down a little bit, you start hitting some sloppy shots, next thing you know you're closed out.
Q. Have you been guilty of that before, Phil?
PHIL MICKELSON: I think we all have been, to an extent. I did it a little bit today on the 10th hole. I wasn't really thinking straight on a wedge shot I was trying to get close. I let my guard down, next thing you know the match is even. So you just have to be so careful, because with 18 holes being it, one or two holes here or there can have such a big difference, human momentum change.
Q. Phil, what subtle swing changes do you refer to?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't really want to go into it.
Q. Do you find you're more mentally tired in match play, because every shot is so important than in stroke-play, where, all right, you make a bogey, you still have another 71 holes or something like that?
PHIL MICKELSON: That's tough to answer, because they're both very draining, mentally, if you're playing well and in contention. If you're winning matches, it's mentally strenuous. And the same thing on stroke-play, 72 holes, you've got to be so in tune or else one mistake here or there has a significant difference. They're both tough.
Q. What was the longest wait that you had today, for the rain?
PHIL MICKELSON: We waited on No. 3 with the water on the green, I would say 30, 40 minutes. It wasn't too bad. Maintenance crew got rid of the water quick, I couldn't believe it. The thing was flooded and 20 minutes later it was gone.
Q. From a competitive standpoint, is this tournament is easier or harder to win than a regular tournament? Is it easier to beat one guy a day six times than four rounds of stroke-play?
PHIL MICKELSON: I think it's harder to win this tournament than it is a 72 hole stroke-play event, because you can be knocked out so quick here. 72 holes, you know that you have all four rounds to catch up on the leaders. Here one hot hand and you're done. And you've got to win six matches. So out of six players, all in the top 64 in the world, somebody is going to be hot, and you've got to have your A game that day, if you're expected to move on.
Q. Are you playing well right now? When you left us on Torrey, you said you're not playing well right now?
PHIL MICKELSON: I really wasn't. I had not played well on this West Coast. I'm starting to play a little better. I am getting more confidence throughout each area of my game, and I'm starting to feel a little bit better about it.
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