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DELL TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPIONSHIP

September 4, 2017

Phil Mickelson

Boston, Massachusetts

Q. Do you feel like you did enough?
PHIL MICKELSON: We'll see. I hope so. But more than that, I don't feel like it was a one-way thing. I think that this is a big step for me as far as getting back to where I want, shooting the scores, playing, having energy, being able to practice, all these things. It was a good start.

Q. Did you feel this coming? I know you talked about this last week and you felt like it was starting to come around -- the energy and focus?
PHIL MICKELSON: I had been playing a similar, comparable level, for over a year, and I haven't been shooting the scores, as you can tell.

I guess the greatest example or the best example I can think of is when you're really tired, after awhile, you've worked however long and you just go lie down, and you just can't get out of bed for a day or two. I have been in bed for days this year, I mean, multiple days, just with fatigue. Three or four days at a time, I can't get out of bed, and that's not normal. But I finally just -- finally kind of figured it out and I'm whack on the right back. This is a great first start.

From a physical game standpoint, I feel like the work that Andrew Getson and I have done has got me driving the ball well and swinging well and playing well, but the results haven't shown yet. But I feel like they are going to start turning.

Q. When you got to 12-under, what were you thinking? Thinking you've got a chance?
PHIL MICKELSON: I wanted to shoot 4-under on the back side. It probably wouldn't have been enough, but I thought 4-under would be a heck of a score on the back nine. It's a little bit tougher than front. But after birdieing 10, I thought it was possible. I ended up shooting even. I had a bogey and a double, but whatever.

Q. Steve said last week he'd call you when the time came. When he calls you, what are you going to tell him?
PHIL MICKELSON: I'm not sure. I'll wait for the conversation. I'm not sure.

Q. Any guarantee that health-wise you'll be good enough when we get to that point if you were picked?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, there's never a guarantee in anything. You know, he has to do what he thinks is best for the team and I totally support that either way.

Q. Do you think there's a point where -- there's always been a group of guys, yourself, Furyk, that kind of group, that's always been on these teams. Is there a point in your mind, do you think at some point the younger guys should get more of a chance, not Jordan Spieth or Koepka, but obviously we're talking about Harman and Hoffman, and Chappell's on the team.
PHIL MICKELSON: I think that you -- the core nucleus of the team, the guys that are going to be the critical guys to perform to ultimately win are usually -- well, they are the guys that make it on points. Because those are the guys that have played the best and those are the guys that you're going to look to to perform and play the best.

So when you take picks, you are not looking at those guys as being, he's my top player. You're looking at Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, and those are the guys that have performed and those are the guys that have to play well for the U.S. to win The Presidents Cup.

Q. When you talk about added energy, do you see that transfer into power on the golf course, longer drives?
PHIL MICKELSON: No, it's more of a focus thing. It's more of being able to see your shot, visualize the shot, as opposed to being in a bit of a fog.

Q. You have to feel good about the way you've played this week overall.
PHIL MICKELSON: No, I'm very pleased. Just what I'm pleased is that the score is starting to reflect the way I feel I've been playing. That's where I'm more pleased.

I played very steady, consistent golf for four days, and I was able to. I didn't have any five-, six-hole stretches where I fell off. That has been happening and it didn't happen this week. And look, I feel a lot better after the round. I'm not overly tired. I practiced after the round a couple of times this week and last week; I haven't done that in a while. It's all positive signs.

Q. When you were diagnosed with whatever it is -- obviously we don't know, did the doctors say that the medication you would be getting should basically take care of it, or was it something, more, we'll see how it goes --
PHIL MICKELSON: It's really not that big a deal as far as there's no medication -- well, there is a little bit, but more natural stuff and change in diet. He said it would take about a week to notice and certainly after a week, I noticed a difference and I felt a lot better.

Hopefully this will continue an upward trend. It was a good start this week, and next week I'll get back and see how I feel after working out and playing and practicing and so forth.

But I feel a lot better, so this is -- whether I make the team or not, whether I get to THE TOUR Championship or not, I feel like I'm on the right track finally and finally figured out what has been -- I've been complaining about for some time now, and I finally feel like I'm on the right track to solving that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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