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AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

February 11, 2019

Phil Mickelson

Pebble Beach, California

Q. It took an extra day but back in the winner's circle for a record tying fifth time in this event. Phil, what's the initial reaction to winning at a place that means so much to you?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah this really is a special place for me, going back to 1919 when my grandfather was one of the original caddies here, this place is very special, it's the first professional event for me as a pro and to win here this week is something I'm going to cherish.

Q. Had a great chance to win the Desert Classic last month, what does it mean that just a few weeks later you were able to put yourself back in position to win and get the job done?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, it's, it means a lot to me to play the final round as focused and as well as I did. That's a big thing for me. It's a big thing for everybody, but that was important, especially after not being my best in Palm Springs. So to finish it off and play the way I did yesterday and today means a lot.

Q. To come out here on a Monday morning and see thousands of people here what are those feelings like internally when you see that?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's very cool. This place just means a lot to me and I've been very I'm very appreciative that I played so well offers over the years because it just creates so many great member rest and so forth and if I could just add, too, last night I get sometimes in a little bubble where all I do is I have a hard time seeing the big picture and Paul made a tough decision that I thanked him for this morning because it protected both of us, it gave us a chance to come out this morning with great visibility, much better greens, the greens were really beat up, a better wind, and protect our spot in the field and as opposed to putting us at a disadvantage and I was appreciative for that but sometimes I get so narrow minded that I don't see the big picture and when I get like that, but when I get like that is when I play my best but sometimes I'm not always seeing everything.

Q. How can you use this victory to jump start the rest of the goals you have on your mind for 2019?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well it's been a good start to the year so far and it's just important for me to continue to build on that. There's been, in my mind I've been able to foresee play like this, but you still have to go out and execute and do it and to start getting some of the results and playing the way I believe I'm capable of is, it feels good.

Q. Your fifth AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am win. You're 44th career win. You looked so calm out there this week, the golf and ball striking was spectacular. What was the key for you?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, there was, there were a lot of things that went on this week and I think just enjoying the entire week the entire process of it all, the relationships, the people, the friend that I don't get to see except for this week, enjoying all of that was every bit as important as playing great golf. But I hit a lot of good shots this week, I putted really well, and especially the final round, I putted really well yesterday. But to come back and play some of my best golf again means a lot to me.

Q. You talked during the week about how much you enjoy kind of hitting little half shots and controlling the golf ball and the flight of it. That was key for you this weekend wasn't it?
PHIL MICKELSON: It was. It's key here, it's going to be key next week in L.A. where we have that wet spongy poa annua after the rain and you get some of those back pins and keep in mind you have to use high pins because otherwise you sometimes have the rough spots and a little water collection and so forth. So if you use high pins it's tough to get to. That shot on 13 that I hit yesterday, 136 yards and I'm chipping a 7-iron to get the ball to release, those are hard shots to practice and to be efficient on and it's become a strength of my game and a big reason why I've had such success here.

Q. A win this week puts you inside the top-10 in FedExCup points, the top-10 in the Wyndham Rewards top-10 at this point in the season, what does that mean to you right now?
PHIL MICKELSON: Honestly it doesn't mean a thing, right now I just want to win golf tournaments and more than that give myself a chance to win golf tournaments because I had just as much fun yesterday and today where I was able to finish it off as I did in Palm Springs having that opportunity. I loved being able to be in the final group, competing for the win, whether I pull it off or not, it's, it feels really better to pull it off but that's why I play, practice and do all the things off the course that I've been doing is for those opportunities and so that's what I care about, the season long stuff, I don't, I care about each individual event.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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