|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 10, 2007Phil MickelsonTULSA, OKLAHOMA Q. Hearing you on AT&T, it sounded like you spoke like -- and Sam said -- like you shot 75. It sounded almost like in your attitude, but you shot 69, why? PHIL MICKELSON: It just feels like I'm leaving four, five shots out there, is all. I felt like on 13, I started out with a couple of poor bogeys that weren't very hard pars. Missed a 4-foot eagle putt, didn't get any momentum. On the backside I made some putts. I'm not disappointed. But I followed them with two bogeys. I've got to eliminate that. I feel like I'm playing a lot better than I'm scoring. That's what's been frustrating. Q. The missed eagle putt, what's the challenge of moving forward from there, especially that close? PHIL MICKELSON: For me it was 5-over. So it wasn't that easy to be patient the next couple of holes and take par. Especially when I missed a 6-foot birdie putt two holes later. And those were frustrating. But I was fortunate enough to hang tough and end up making some birdie putts there on 17 and on 1, and turned it around a little bit. But I think Scott's playing some great golf. This is a golf course very similar to Colonial, which he's played very well at in the past. I know he won at the Nelson this year, and I think he's going to continue to play well. So guys will have to make birdies to catch him. Q. Tough go since the injury, THE PLAYERS, et cetera, what do you take from today? PHIL MICKELSON: Well, that's interesting. This is the first week I feel just terrific. I haven't had any problems, haven't even thought about it. This is the first week I haven't had to numb it. Or last week was the first time I hadn't had to numb it up. It feels great. The heat is prohibiting me from excessive practice. My game is better. My hand feels pretty good, and I'm excited about playing golf. I just, again, want to get the ball in the hole a little quicker. Q. Difference between a morning and an afternoon round given the heat? PHIL MICKELSON: Well, yesterday, it was a little windier and the greens seemed to not hold as well as in the morning. And this morning the ball held very nicely on the green. So we were able to get at some pins. I felt there were some low rounds out there. Scott shot 4-under. I felt like I was in position to shoot 4- or 5-under as well. So there are some birdies out there, especially with the lack of wind. It's an attack mode right now. Q. Can you quantify just how much less practicing and working on your game you do as a result of this heat? I know usually you play like a morning practice round on the weekends. PHIL MICKELSON: You have to be real careful. I went out yesterday morning 7:15 to beat some of the heat, even though I teed off at 2:00. You have to be careful not to have too much energy taken out, which the heat will do to you. Q. You played a practice round with Scott Verplank. Did you sense anything from him that he might try to make a run at his first-ever major in his state? PHIL MICKELSON: I felt he did; I felt the golf course sets up perfectly for him perfectly for the way the doglegs roll. The greens roll nicely. He's a great putter. When he gets it hot, he makes it on all these types of greens. He reads them so well and rolls it so good. He spent a lot of time in Oklahoma and Texas with this bermuda rough. He's able to get up-and-down on the greens. If he hits a poor shot, he can salvage par. I think he'll be the guy to beat this week. Q. I know you want to win a major yourself. Is Scott one of those guys that you're rooting for? PHIL MICKELSON: Absolutely is, yeah. Absolutely. Now certainly I'm going to try to gun for him. But if I'm not able to catch him, he's one of the most well-thought of individuals on Tour. And I know a lot of people are pulling for him. I think a lot of players felt the emotion for him when he won the Nelson, because that was such a special victory for him, too. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|