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AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

February 10, 2019

Phil Mickelson

Pebble Beach, California

Q. You've got to be pleased with how you played.
PHIL MICKELSON: It's been a good 16 holes so far. I love this tournament and it's fun to be playing well. As much as I would like to finish, it's probably a good thing. We'll get, the greens are pretty bumpy. We'll have them freshly mown, the last couple of holes. It's probably a good thing for us. But I wanted to try to finish tonight because I'm playing well.

Q. Get some sleep, come out and finish it off tomorrow.
PHIL MICKELSON: Thanks.

Q. Three back at the beginning of this day. Three clear at the end of it. How would you describe Sunday at Pebble?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, it's been a great day so far. It's not over. We've got to finish it off, so I don't want to jump the gun and look ahead. I've got two difficult holes coming up and it's been a great day so far. I love playing this tournament, but I think the postponement is a good omen because the first time I won here was '98. We had a three-month suspension of the tournament, came back and finished the final round and I had my first victory here. So I think it's probably a good omen.

Q. What were the discussions with Mark Russell there on 16 green?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I get what Paul's saying. If we're going to, if we're not going to be able to finish, we're going to come back out and why hit a 4-footer when you can get a freshly mown green. I mean greens are pretty rough right now. They're soft and they have had a lot of play, they're pretty rough. But so we'll end up having a good break here. We'll play the last few holes with good greens. It's probably a smart decision but because I'm playing well, hitting some shots and I wanted to try to finish, but I get it.

Q. Momentum on your side. How do you carry that over to Monday morning?
PHIL MICKELSON: So just stay focused because the tournament's not over and a lot can happen, and we've got two tough holes. But the fact is I'm playing well and I've got a nice lead and I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning.

Q. You just missed birdies on 5 and 7. Where did the momentum start to change for you?
PHIL MICKELSON: You're looking at the negative, man. I've had six birdies out there on a tough golf course so there's been a lot of good things, a lot of good putts that have gone in.

Q. History. You have a chance to win your fifth here. How much does the history and familiarity with it mean when you are coming down the stretch like this?
PHIL MICKELSON: We're jumping ahead. We've got two tough holes left and I don't want to jump the gun and get past that. I know a lot can happen in these two holes and they have happened in the past, so I want to stay focused and just come out tomorrow and try to finish it off. I wish we could do it tonight.

Q. Last question. When you play on a Sunday like this and everybody's pulling for you, how much does that matter?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's an awesome feeling and to feel the support of the crowd, it's been really cool and I would have liked to have finished it off in front of them.

Q. It was obvious you wanted to continue playing.
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I get exactly where Paul's coming from. It's dark and we're going to have a good chance tomorrow to come out on fresh greens and have them mown. They got pretty rough this afternoon so I totally get it. But I have pretty good vision, I can see fine, and I'm playing well, so I wanted to continue and that's all there is to it. But I totally get where he's coming from. And in all honesty it's probably a good thing because now we'll play the last couple holes in pure conditions and it will be helpful for us both.

Q. The general rule is he who is playing well wants to keep playing and he who is not wants to stop and regroup.
PHIL MICKELSON: Amen. I understand.

Q. It looked like you weren't showing as much emotion as normal when you're in contention. Was there anything to that or did you notice that?
PHIL MICKELSON: Paul and I both went to Arizona State. We have been friends for a long time. I don't want to be too emotional because I don't want to rub him the wrong way. He's a good guy and I enjoy our friendship. But it's nice to be playing well and to be on a roll. But I've got to finish it off and I still have a lot of work ahead of me tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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