MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 11, 2024

Phil Mickelson

Quick Quotes

Q. Describe the difficulty of the back nine today with that wind whipping up.

PHIL MICKELSON: I actually thought it was a really fair test. The wind was challenging but the greens were receptive. I thought there were some birdies because the birdie holes playing easier, like 13 and 15.

I didn't birdie them, but they were very birdieable. There was a birdie pin on 16 and it's downwind. I hit a poor shot there, but I think there's a lot of 2s there. I thought it was scorable. Even in the difficult wind conditions. Because the greens were receptive. When you had a tough pin, you were able to hit a solid shot, get it to stop on the green and be able to two-putt.

I thought it was a really enjoyable challenge. It was hard but it was also scorable.

Q. You certainly don't want to make two bogeys coming in. What did you feel about your position at the end of the day? I understand Bryson is 7.

PHIL MICKELSON: Look, I hit a lot of good shots. I made some good putts. I feel good with my game actually. I feel like I'm driving the ball well. I feel like I'm rolling it pretty good. You just kind of have to take what the course gives you.

And there's some holes that will be birdie opportunities with the pins, and I feel like I'm playing well enough to take advantage of them.

There's three more rounds. I'm looking forward to them. I always enjoy this week. This is the greatest week. I thought it was an interesting challenge that we don't get to see as often the last few years.

Q. (Indiscernible) can you give us an idea of your relationship with him and what it's like to see him playing around here?

PHIL MICKELSON: I think he's a brilliant talent. We flew together to play his first tournament as a pro when he turned pro at 17, and we had a great conversation. I remember the discussion went something like, look, over the next four years, am I going to develop as a player, as a person, as a professional best playing professionally even though I know it's going to be hard and it's going to be a struggle, or to go to college.

He felt like that was the right decision for him, and as you look back on it you have to agree because he's already won twice. He's at a point now where he would be coming out of college and he's already won twice and has a lot of experience, and he's got an incredible game.

To have the foresight to make that kind of decision and make the right one was impressive. I really think a lot of him.

Q. This is one of the biggest weeks in all of golf, but when you get back to Augusta, do you feel a sense of peace almost when you're here? What does this week mean to you?

PHIL MICKELSON: That's a good word for it, yeah. I feel like another good word for the Masters is spiritual. I feel like if you love the game, it's a very spiritual place.

I feel like it's where everybody who loves what this great game has offered and given all of us, I think it's kind of a great place to honor it.

Q. Is that something that may be a little bit more special at this point in your career?

PHIL MICKELSON: Maybe, but I've felt that way ever since I was a kid. I've always loved going out in the rain and practicing and playing in solitude, and I've loved playing with family, friends and competing at the highest level. I've loved every element that the game provides, and I've appreciated it ever since I was a kid.

I think the thing I have the most gratitude for is being able to come back here every year because there's a lot of players that I played with that are great players who never won here and don't have the opportunity to come back and relive these special moments that we've shared in the game.

And nobody treats the past champions better than the Masters. It's so fun for us to come back.

Q. Tony was just saying how generous you are as a playing partner. He said you're very engaged with the other guys. Did you have that as a young player here like Tony is now, another guy who was just generous and welcoming to you?

PHIL MICKELSON: From the start of my career the guys out here have kind of helped educate me and make me aware of what's going on. I remember the first round, one of the first tournaments I played as a pro was with Ben and Julie Crenshaw, and Amy walked around, first time she walked around.

She didn't really know what a birdie, bogey, par was. Julie Crenshaw shared that with her, Ben shared a lot of great things with me, and I had a chance to play with some great past champions here.

You always have to pay it forward to all the people that have given us such great opportunities.

Q. What have you seen in Bryson's transformation, maybe more as a person than a golfer the past few years? Seems like he's matured quite a bit. He's a lot more comfortable, a lot more at peace.

PHIL MICKELSON: I mean, I've thought that way about him for a long time. He's one of the smartest people I know and he's one of the most talented players I know and probably one of the hardest working. He has found a way to play golf that's different and unique from anybody I've ever seen play it.

He believes and knows that it gives him opportunities and advantages, and he's got the commitment and the self-assurance to not care what anybody else says but to go down this path that he knows is right for him. I think a lot of him and have a lot of respect for him.