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FORD CHAMPIONSHIP AT DORAL

March 3, 2006

Phil Mickelson

DORAL, FLORIDA

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Phil Mickelson in, a 6 under 66 today, no bogeys. Obviously you're playing well. Just talk a little bit about today's round, if you would.

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, it was a good first couple of days. I played well today and was able to get by the first 36 without a bogey. Without the wind, the course doesn't have the normal defense, and we were able to attack and make a lot of birdies. I was finding myself having to push and push to keep pace with these guys because I just could see the lead was going lower and lower.

Q. You didn't seem to make much, early. What turned it around for you?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I didn't, but the difference, Doug, was that although they didn't go in, they started on the right line, they had the right speed, I may have misread it a little bit or what have you. I felt like I was hitting good putts and if I was patient, a few would go.

The biggest turnaround was the eagle on 8, because that got me to 3 under for the turn and in a position where I don't have to shoot really low on the back to shoot 66, just a couple birdies here or there and I was able to do that.

Q. Was 66 your target today?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, after being 1 under through seven, I thought, yeah, if I could get 5 under the last 11, that would be a good mark for me.

Q. Tiger likes a U.S. setup given his druthers, are you more of a track meet guy, given your success in the desert courses over the years; certainly birdies, you're comfortable with?

PHIL MICKELSON: I like a variety. It's fun to play different styles of golf. I remember the U.S. Open at Shinnecock in 2004 where it was just a survival test. Then we come out here and it's fun to attack and make birdies.

I just think that it's nice to have a mixture out on TOUR and it's nice to have holes that are tight with thick rough, and then it's nice to have some holes that are long and more open without rough. It's just a variety. And I love the way they have set this course up. So what if we see birdies; I think that's great. I think it shows for some spectacular golf and exciting golf.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Birdie at 1.

PHIL MICKELSON: I started out with a driver and 4 iron just short of the green, chipped up not a great one to about five feet and made it.

I eagled 8 with a drive in the fairway. I had 241, hit a little cut 4 wood to about eight feet. It was one of the better shots I've hit and ended up making the putt.

On 10, I hit 3 wood off the tee, 3 wood just short of the green, chipped up to three feet, a lot of 3s in there, and ended up with a 4.

Then 16, I hit driver with a little bit of hurt and wasn't able to get there, but was about ten yards short of that front left bunker. Only about 45 yards from the hole and chipped up to about eight, ten feet and made that.

Then 17, I hit a good drive off the tee and had only 122 to the hole. Hit a little pitching wedge to about 3 1/2 feet, made that.

Q. Have you had a par yet that you've really had to grind over?

PHIL MICKELSON: Oh, yeah, that 13th hole wears me out. I've gone right both times and yesterday had to make a 12 footer for par. Today I hit a really good shot to have it about six feet for par and made that.

Q. Six feet from where? Where were you on your tee shot?

PHIL MICKELSON: To the right. Yeah, I love that right side. It's great over there. (Laughter).

Q. How much do you change up the rotation in your bag? In other words, that 4 wood; that a constant?

PHIL MICKELSON: It's becoming more and more, yes. I'm finding I really like that club and I can make I'm taking the 3 iron out there more and more because I'm able to hit the 4 wood about 3 iron distance I choose, but I also have a lot more variety of shots with it.

Q. What do you see as the difference between a 4 wood and one of the hybrids that would have the same loft as a 4 wood?

PHIL MICKELSON: I struggle with the hybrids.

Q. You've tried them, I take it?

PHIL MICKELSON: I have tried them. I really struggle with them because they are right in between a wood and right in between an iron. And in an iron, the weighting is up by the face; and a hybrid, the weight gets back more, which promotes more of a draw. I found the hybrids to hit one shot really nice, but whether it's a draw or a fade or what have you, but it's not a very versatile club for me. I can only hit one shot. I'm not able to hit a variety of shots. With woods, I don't know how the weighting is different or what exactly, but I find that I'm able to hit much more many more shots with it.

Q. I never thought I'd hear you say you can't hit a variety of shots. What do you mean by that?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, when I try let's say I have the hybrid that hits a nice draw, when I try to fade it, it won't fade properly. It will start to my right and draw or it will be a big block slice. The weighting just isn't right.

Q. Everybody just wants to see and you Tiger duel. If this holds up and you're paired together Saturday, do you have to guard against getting caught up in a match play or duel situation?

PHIL MICKELSON: Oh, sure. There are guys that are right there that are going to go out and make a lot of birdies and it will be easy for them. They will have no pressure on them. They will just go out and attack and get themselves in position, and that's what we have to do if we want to continue to be up near the lead, make a lot of birdies.

So Saturday's match, it won't be any I don't think if we're paired together tomorrow, it will be anything like Sunday last year where we're watching what each other is doing and try to beat each other. It will be more trying to shoot a low round and be in the final group for Sunday.

Q. How many flags were you able to go after today?

PHIL MICKELSON: It's hard for me not to go after a pin. (Laughter) pretty much all of them, unless I had a horrible lie in the rough and just didn't have a choice. Yeah, the easiest thing to see on the green, they are so tall. (Laughter).

Q. The way this course is constituted now, the low scores, is this worthy of a World Golf Championships event?

PHIL MICKELSON: I think that what Ford has done is created such a great tournament from where it was in 2003 to where it is now that it's a great transition into the World Golf Championships events. I think all of the top players have been coming here now the last two years, and it makes it very easy for them to transition into the World Golf Championships event because they know the course, they know where they are going to stay, they are familiar with the area. It just makes it easier for the guys to come and play.

Q. Is it a tough enough test or does it need to be toughened up?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, everybody has got to play it. They can make it golf course as hard as they want to. Especially when the wind blows. Then it's a real beast.

But why do you have to have what's the magic in even par? To have even par be the winning score, you've got to trick it up. As good as these players are, we've got guys out here now that a lot of the public may not have heard of but as players we look at and just can't believe how talented they are.

And now you're becoming more and more familiar with J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson and some of these guys and these guys can flat out play. Lucas Glover is going to be just an incredible talent. Watching these guys hit balls, it's very well, I don't do it very long, it's sometimes intimidating so I go off on my own. We have so much talent, you can't make even par a good score. You have to do what the USGA does at Shinnecock and just make it ridiculous, and that's no fun to watch, either.

Q. Even though you just said that tomorrow if you and Tiger are paired together or around the lead, that won't be like last year on Sunday, Tiger said he looks forward to playing against you in those kind of situations, are you of the same thought?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, his record is a little bit better than mine. Of course he enjoys it. (Laughter).

Q. So is that a yes or a no?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I don't know. I do enjoy I do enjoy, win, lose or draw, having a chance to compete against him and I know that the more opportunities I have to play head to head against him in the same events, in the same group, what have you, it can only help my game.

Q. In that final round last year, one of the fellow colleagues on the PGA TOUR watched it on TV and couldn't believe how much Tiger hit it past you on a few holes, subsequently had Tiger's driver tested. Do you remember that? Did you know about that?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah but

Q. Didn't you have a strategy that day?

PHIL MICKELSON: I just wanted to hit those little baby cuts in the fairway. I wasn't going after it and, in fact, I wasn't hitting it all that solid and I was getting it in play. I wanted to hit the iron shots first. No, it's not like I had a choice, I'm going to be behind him anyways, but I wanted to hit the iron shot first and see if I can get it closer.

Q. Were you surprised that a fellow pro would watch that on TV and think that was, you know, bizarre that Tiger was hitting past you?

PHIL MICKELSON: What do you mean? Why would it be odd? The guy hits it extremely long.

Q. Yeah, and you were hitting so many 3 woods that day. I just couldn't understand why that driver testing issue came up after that round.

PHIL MICKELSON: I think it's a good rule. It just happened to me a month ago. I think it's a great rule to have. If you have a question about a player's equipment, to have the opportunity to have it checked, I think it's great. So there shouldn't be any problem with that.

Q. You're enough of a sports buff, baseball, basketball, to know that almost all of them embrace a new wave of athletes with each generation and they have also embraced their records being broken, but why do you think the governing bodies in golf are so afraid of you guys shooting low scores and being better players now than 25, 50 years ago?

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know. I mean, the rules haven't changed. The rules for equipment, the rules for the game, they haven't really changed any. I look at some players now, I look at these guys that are so strong and can hit the ball so far with the same equipment that everybody out here is using, they just hit it a lot farther than everybody because of their strength and you're right, the athletes are getting better, the golfers were getting better. We knew this was coming. It was evident when Tiger came out in the end of '96 that we are just going to have guys that can drive the ball a long ways and can now wedge it and chip it and put it and hit good short irons.

Q. What's everybody afraid of then?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I'm afraid of it because I've got to play against them every day. (Laughter).

Q. As far as course setup, and as you said tricking up courses.

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know. I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

Q. There's that policy that if you finish Top 10, get in the next week as long as it's not an invitational. Any thoughts on whether you are Top 10 in Tucson or an opposite field event you should get into the full field event the next week?

PHIL MICKELSON: Never thought about it.

Q. Five guys did this week, is why he's asking

PHIL MICKELSON: Oh, really?

Q. bumping some guys. I didn't know if you had any thoughts, if you had ever thought about that side of it and had any opinions you'd like to share.

PHIL MICKELSON: No, not really. I think there are some guys that are great players that are not out here yet and could come out here and do exactly what J.B. Holmes did, exactly what Bubba Watson has done with a third, fourth place finish. There are guys that we just haven't heard of or seen yet that are going to come out. We need to give them opportunities somehow.

And if having them get in the field in the Top 10, I think that's great. I just want us to have more opportunities to create stars. I think J.B. Holmes, Jason Gore, these guys are going to be great assets for the Tour. They are charismatic, they are great players and there are more of those guys coming up and we need to get those guys out here as much as we can. We can't just be a closed knit group and we have to open it up. That's just one little example, a Top 10. But whether it's the Money List or whatever, these guys are great for the Tour.

Q. You and Tiger generally playing separately are easy to spot because there's a big throng over here and a big throng over there, when you put those two groups together, is that the more the merrier for you when you play in front of that many people, or does it become an annoyance when you have nine out of ten people on the golf course or 12 deep around the hole?

PHIL MICKELSON: Not really, I don't mind it. I enjoy it. Amy doesn't come out on those days. She tends to stay home.

Q. She's only this tall, too.

PHIL MICKELSON: That's true. Don't knock my wife, Steve. (Laughter) I do it, but that's okay.

Q. Just an observation.

PHIL MICKELSON: I know where you were going with it. (Laughter).

Q. You're known more than any other player to go out and sign autographs, and I've seen you doing it over the years for a considerable amount of a time, a little joke, but does your hand ever cramp up, I've seen you out there for like a half hour, plus.

PHIL MICKELSON: No. You know, I try to do the best I can. Unfortunately I'm not able to get to everybody, but I try. I just think it's important that from a player's point of view to show our appreciation to the people that come out and watch and who allow us to play for the purses that we play for or just play golf for a living. I think it's great.

Q. Was there anything that as child that you saw that prompted to you do that?

PHIL MICKELSON: No. I never really asked for autographs as a kid, but I understand the importance of it as a tour.

End of FastScripts.

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