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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 16, 2006

Phil Mickelson

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK

Q. Putting for bogey, not where you want to be on 18, but you struck a beauty. Do you feel good about that.

PHIL MICKELSON: Even though I walked off with a bogey, walked off on a high note because it could have been a big number. Bogeys are okay. I just had to prevent the double, the big mistakes. I was able to get up and down and walk off 18 and feel good about it.

Q. How hard a grind is it out there?

PHIL MICKELSON: It's tough, a tough day. I don't know what else to say. I hit a lot of good shots and came in at 3 over.

Q. Talk about your position going into the weekend.

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, my position is pretty good. Obviously everybody wants to be better, everybody wants to be up in the lead, but I'm within four with two rounds to go, and I'm where I wanted to be in, what I wanted to have a chance. All I can ask for is a chance with two rounds to go. It's going to take some good golf, but I just love the fact that I have a chance.

Q. Are you disappointed, relieved, excited that Tiger didn't make the cut (laughter)?

PHIL MICKELSON: I guess surprised is probably the biggest word, but he's the best player in the world and he'll come out at the British ready to go and play some exceptional golf.

I just think that it was one of those deals where the golf course was extremely tough, and if he just hit a shot here or there sideways, it can really come up and grab you.

Q. Easy for you to say, what you did a minute ago, that bogeys are okay? Is it easy for you to accept that as you go along?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I think that I've always thought bogeys were okay, it's just that I've tried to make a lot more birdies and kind of force it, where really where all the pins are you know, there are 18 of the hardest pins. There's no real easy pin. We've kind of abandoned the old six, six and six: six easy, six medium and six hard. We just go flat out 72 toughest. I can't get at any of these pins, so I have to plan on hitting a good shot to 30 feet and see if I can make a putt. I made one 30 footer today that went in.

Q. Talk about the second shot on 18 here. What were you trying to do?

PHIL MICKELSON: I was just trying to get it over the trees just short right of the green so that I had an angle to pitch up the slope, where my third shot ended up essentially, and I just fatted it. I was thinking it was going to jump it should have jumped over the tree, no problem, and I fatted it right into it.

Q. Was there a possible big number there?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I was trying not to. I was trying to think lower. Those things are going to happen as far as missing fairways and putting yourself in bad spots. You just want to minimize it. Obviously that could have been a disastrous hole, but I feel good about it.

Q. Only one since Bobby Jones has ever won three in a row and you're in the thick of it. Is that getting overlooked a little bit?

PHIL MICKELSON: No, it's not really something I've been thinking much about it, either. I'm trying to focus on this one tournament and it's nice that I'm in that position. I just don't have the energy to let my mind wander. I've got a lot of work to do the next two days.

I love that I have a chance heading into the final two rounds. It's exciting if I can put together a couple good rounds, but a lot of work. This is a very penalizing golf course, and the scores are just going to keep getting worse.

Q. It sure doesn't seem to be getting looked at in that respect.

PHIL MICKELSON: Thanks.

Q. What do you expect with good weather going into the weekend as far as the golf course?

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know if it was tougher than yesterday or not, it was just tough. It's just a hard course, and I think it will only get more difficult, provided the greens survive another day or two of this because most of them were just about dead, but they should get firmer somehow this week and weekend and be very difficult to make putts.

Q. Two bogeys to start with, two short putts. Does that set a tone or how hard is it to shake off?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, again, you're going to make bogeys. It wasn't fun making them on the first two holes, but I tried to make a series of pars until a couple of birdie chances came. I was disappointed I didn't birdie 5; I hit two great shots there, a drive and an 8 iron, landed it just underneath the hole and it raced 90 feet over the green. I couldn't hit two better shots and couldn't sniff holding the green, and then I didn't have anything there.

Q. Do you have anything special planned for tonight?

PHIL MICKELSON: You know, no, nothing exceptional. We've got Amy and the kids coming here in a little bit, so I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Q. Was there a bad round that escaped where you could have shot 76 or 80 that could have killed you?

PHIL MICKELSON: Every round is a potential 76 or 80, so I guess you could say I escaped it again. I thought there was a potential out there, even a couple bogeys to get it under par. I had a lot of birdie opportunities but nothing really fell until 13.

End of FastScripts.

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