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WGC DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY

March 22, 2018

Phil Mickelson

Austin, Texas

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know what to say. I'm a little disappointed in my attitude. I'm walking with my head down. And you know what happens when you walk with your head down, animals, they get eaten.

I didn't have great energy. I wasn't really up. And I was fortunate to turn it around in the end. But I'm not real happy with the way I came out and wasn't real positive and wasn't really focused.

I've got to get my attitude a little better. I was a little bit whiney. I need to I've got to change that.

Q. How do you get your attitude better, and why was it like that?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know. I had a great win, the first one, two weeks ago, I came out, I was excited to play. And I don't know why these last couple of days I haven't been as energetic and focused. It started to change a little bit the back nine, I made a few birdies.

I'll come out tomorrow ready and focused. I need some help. I need a little bit of luck. But still, you just never know what's going to happen in this format.

Q. How does your game feel right now and is it fun battling like this or are you kind of hoping that maybe you can finish a little bit earlier?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know what's been going on, because I've been playing really well, not just back in Mexico, but in my week off, getting prepared for here and Augusta, I've been playing really well.

I came out this week, and these last few days, I haven't been as sharp and focused, as upbeat. I've been a little bit kind of walking with my head down, and I've got to change that.

I'll come out tomorrow with a good attitude and try to play a good match regardless of what it may lead to. But I'm fortunate to have hung in there and turned it around in the end. But it was not a match I should have won.

Q. In thinking about that, do you come out tomorrow and try and change any kind of game plan you may or may not have had coming into the week, or try and be more aggressive, anything change for tomorrow?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yesterday I came out, I made one birdie and one bogey the whole round. You're going to get beat doing that.

Today I came out the front nine I made one birdie and one bogey, and I was 4 down through 7. You've got to make birdies. On the back nine I made five of them. I've got to play more aggressive. That's shocking that I would say that, because I usually play pretty aggressive. But I've been playing way too conservative and not going after it.

Q. I just overheard you talking about how you weren't happy the way you came out yesterday. But what does this finish do for you going into tomorrow?
PHIL MICKELSON: It gives me an outside chance, if I were to win the match, to be able to move on. I need a little bit of luck. But I just want to come out and play sharp, focused golf. I've been a little bit lethargic. I haven't been as focused. I've been making just par, par, par out here. And that's going to get beat. I made one birdie, one bogey yesterday and got beat. I made one birdie, one bogey first seven holes and I was four down. And I've got to get more aggressive. The back nine I did, the back nine I made five birdies and got lucky. It's not a match I should have won, but I was lucky there in the end.

Q. Is it something you said to yourself or your brother said to you, all right, let's get focused to you and make a charge?
PHIL MICKELSON: No, it was lucky, because I just tried to make a 4 on 16. I made a birdie and he didn't. If he makes a birdie he's dormie -- or he closes me out -- we would have been dormie, too. I hit a poor shot on 17 and he follows it with a poor one in the back bunker and makes bogey. It was a lucky hole to win there.

18 I made a good birdie but he was right in position for a nice up and down. It wasn't an easy shot, but it's a shot he's been lit hitting all day. I got fortunate.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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