HONDA CLASSIC

March 20, 2021

Phil Mickelson

PGA National Resort

Quick Quotes

Q. How has this golf course changed over the course of the three days?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, first of all, heading in, this is the best I've ever seen this golf course, conditions, setup-wise, like it's so well done that you got a lot of options. It's playable, it's tough, it's difficult, I mean it's really, really good. It's been a pleasure to play because, even as the conditions have gotten more difficult, it's still playable. You can play it with angles, different -- it's just really well done.

So it's been a fun week to really test your game and to get rewarded for great shots and you've seen some good scores and then also get penalized for poorly truck struck ones like we have seen a lot of high scores. So it couldn't be better.

Q. When that wind comes out of the northeast how much more difficult do those holes on The Bear Trap play?

PHIL MICKELSON: So it's very difficult, right, but it makes other holes easier that we were having trouble with early on. And because the rough is more like Augusta first cut, what it does is it allows you to, first of all, get ready for the Masters, which I think is really cool of them to do, and then second it allows you to play angles into some of these difficult pins that are tucked. And when you get a challenging wind like this you still have a chance to play it. Even if you miss a shot here or there you can fight your way and try to salvage a par. I just think it's a brilliantly conditioned and set up golf course.

Q. You talked last week about relishing the challenge. What is the challenge for you right now with your game?

PHIL MICKELSON: So I'm seeing lot of progress, even though most people just look at the results, look at the score and say, gosh, he's playing well, he's not playing well. I've seen a lot of progress. I have not played well for some time now for a couple of -- I would even say a couple of years -- and I'm starting to see glimpses of playing at the level I expect to again. The results aren't showing that right now, I've thrown away probably four, five shots on two or three holes the first day and the second day and that's has not allowed me to be in contention. But I've hit a lot more good shots than I have in a long time, I've addressed some of the issues in my game that seem to be starting to come along and so, although the results aren't showing it yet, I'm very excited about what's ahead, because I see the progress, even though the scores aren't necessarily reflecting it fully.