MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 14, 2024

Phil Mickelson

Quick Quotes

Q. How was the week for you?

PHIL MICKELSON: It was good. It was a fun challenge. It was a challenging golf course. I really enjoyed the challenge. I was not as sharp with my short game and threw a lot of shots away there, but I had a fun week and a great opportunity to experience this course and this test in a way that we don't normally see.

Then today was there for the taking. The course was soft, and there's a lot of birdies out there, and it was really fun because you felt like you could birdie almost every hole, even though I didn't. If you hit good shots, you could.

Q. Does that mean they put some water on it?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, they watered a lot of the greens. They were softer and they were easier pins to get to, less wind. You just felt like you could make a lot of birdies today, and I just feel like somebody is going to make a move.

Q. Akshay looks up to you, idolizes you, talks a lot about you. Can you tell us something about him?

PHIL MICKELSON: I have a lot of respect for him. We first met and started spending time when he first turned pro. He came to the conclusion that over the course of the next four years he'll progress more as a player if he were to turn pro and go through the challenges of playing professional golf during those four years that he could be in college. He had the foresight to make a really tough decision and make the right decision for him because it's turned out that after winning a couple of times he's progressed very fast in these last four years and come a long way. He's got an incredible golf game. What a career he has.

Q. What does he need to do next to get to the level --

PHIL MICKELSON: No, he doesn't need to do anything different. Just keep fine tuning what he's doing. He's on a great path, and he's gotten so good that all he has to do is just fine tune, fine tune. He doesn't have to do anything different, and he's already incredible. He'll just keep getting better, just like he has.

Q. (Indiscernible).

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't think that the challenge physically on the golf course is any different. It's just that being prepared and recovering after and being ready for the next day might be a little more difficult and take a little more effort, but it's very doable.

Q. 101 cuts you've made in majors now, which is apparently third all time. I think you're one behind Gary Player. In theory with the PGA Championship you could tie him. I wonder, I realize you aren't out here to make cuts, but it's still a pretty good sign of longevity.

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, if you're going to contend on the weekend, you've got to get there. That's part of the battle. I feel like physically I'm in -- I don't have any injuries, knock on wood, and I've been able to practice and play as much as I need to, and then in a slightly different way -- I don't need to hit as many balls as I did when I was younger, but I need to hit them with a little bit more intent and focus.

But there's no reason why I cannot get back and play at a really high level. I didn't shoot the scores this week, but it wasn't that far off. It just takes a small little tweak here or there.

Q. (Indiscernible).

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't think it matters either way. Each competitive round is an opportunity to progress and get better. There are guys out on the TOUR players only 36 holes. A lot of guys only play 36 this week. Every competitive round is an opportunity to play well and compete. I don't think it makes a difference either way. We've got mini-tours playing 54, Champions Tour playing 54. I wouldn't be surprised if some or all of LIV events went to 72. I don't know, but it doesn't matter. I enjoy the competition.

Q. Does it help you at this stage of your career to play 54?

PHIL MICKELSON: I'm not sure because it's more of a sprint. You have to play well the first day or you're so far behind that it's hard to catch up, whereas in 72 you can kind of work your way into the tournament and fight if you don't have it the first day, fight to keep it around par then make up ground. It could go either way. It's just the nuances of a different format.

Q. (On the PGA Tour meeting with Yasir last month.) Do you have any thoughts on where it stands at this point?

PHIL MICKELSON: Others are handling that. I'm not involved. Others are taking care of that.