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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 2018

Phil Mickelson

Southampton, New York

PHIL MICKELSON: So I didn't stiff anybody yesterday. Nobody asked me to come here. I would have been happy to come. Some people thought I was not talking. I'm happy to talk, but you got to ask. I'm not going to hunt you down.

Q. How do you feel today?
PHIL MICKELSON: I played a lot better. We got lucky with the conditions, getting much easier. Our wave of tee times was significantly easier, and it shows how impressive Dustin Johnson is playing because he played in much more difficult conditions and he's beating everybody by a lot.

Q. You're my favorite.
PHIL MICKELSON: Thank you.

Q. Big swings -- obviously, you saw what happened with Ian. It's out there, as we've been hearing. You're right in it.
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah. I have not putted well. My speed's been off. I haven't putted well. I'm going to go work on it now. If I have good putting day -- what happened in 1995, I will always remember. The conditions were calm in the morning. I remember Neal Lancaster shooting 29 for nine holes and getting right back in it. The conditions are supposed to be calm in the morning, kind of like we're seeing. I think there's a 4, 5, 6 under par round there. If I can shoot that or anybody who just made the cut, I think there's potential. You just never know in this tournament. If the wind picks up, it could move them into contention for Sunday.

So, you know, half the battle for me was I was, what, 9 over par, and outside the cut line and had to play the last 15 in under par just to make the cut. So I had to fight hard just to get to this point.

But I'm playing well enough to shoot that number, given the conditions, and I just have to putt a little better.

Q. Phil, given that you missed only one fairway yesterday, and then, you know, shot --
PHIL MICKELSON: And today, but anyway.

Q. And today, fair enough.
PHIL MICKELSON: It was the same hole, that 3rd hole.

Q. What did you tell yourself going into sort of -- what was the pep talk you gave yourself going into today?
PHIL MICKELSON: These fairways are a very fair width. I can hit these fairways. If I make a good solid swing and hit the ball online, it will stay in the fairway. But that's not the case in the past. I remember -- you know, 24 yard wide fairways, a ball won't always -- a perfectly struck shot can easily bounce off, but that's not the case this week. They're very fair, and they're not impossible to hit.

Q. What's going on with 3?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's a very awkward sitting hole for me, but I'm going to figure it out for tomorrow.

Q. Phil, was there difficulty in shaking off yesterday's round and feeling like you hadn't played yourself out of the tournament?
PHIL MICKELSON: The reason why it wasn't difficult was I did what I set out to do, which was to hit the fairways and not make worse than bogey. Unfortunately, I made way too many bogeys and not enough birdies. I had eight bogeys, but I have not made a double bogey, that's a big thing for me. That's going to continue to be my goal, to fight to make no worse than bogey on any hole.

I'm not thinking birdie, but I'll have to make some more tomorrow.

Q. You said you would have talked to us yesterday. What was your frame of mind in seeing kind of the objective for today?
PHIL MICKELSON: I wasn't disappointed with how I played. I drove it great. I didn't putt well, didn't chip well. I'm having trouble getting the ball close around the greens. I'm having trouble getting the ball to the hole is what I'm having trouble doing. I can't get it to release up the hill.

And then once it gets to the pin, it goes away, so I don't want to go past, and I'm just leaving everything short. Same thing putting. So I'm going to have to be a little more aggressive around the greens, trying to get the ball to the hole.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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