	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 11, 2008

Phil Mickelson

LUSS, SCOTLAND

Q. Tell us about the hole-in-one.
PHIL MICKELSON: I wasn't doing much to that point. I couldn't see the ball go in, I t was over the ridge and thought it was going to be close and all of a sudden everybody jumped behind the green and took me a second to realise it had gone in. It was a great feeling seeing it go in.

Q. Have you had many in tournament play?
PHIL MICKELSON: I've had a few. I've been fortunate to have a few in tournament play. I don't remember last one, though. It's been a little while.

Q. In terms of the round, boosted you toward the end?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I was struggling getting the ball to go in the hole with the putter, and so I guess I just needed to hole it from off the green. That seemed to help. And then I made a good one on the last hole to make birdie and finish the round.

Q. Do you feel like you needed that one on the last in terms of playing in the tournament for the weekend?
PHIL MICKELSON: I thought that if I could get to 4-under, I felt like that was going to be within striking distance on the weekend, and to see that last putt go in gives me a little confidence, because I didn't see any go in today and to see that last one go in, gets me a little bit excited about the weekend.

Q. And you said yesterday when you came off, you were a little rusty after three weeks off; does it feel better today?
PHIL MICKELSON: I feel like I hit a lot of good shots and I just have to get the ball to track in on the greens like I did there on No. 9, and if I did, I can have a good weekend.

Q. A poor round yesterday looked like it might have been going that way again today until the fifth.
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I got fortunate to get that one to go in the hole. It's a par 3 that it's a tough par 3. You don't want to go right in that low spot; it's a tough up-and-down.
I hit a good shot and I couldn't see the ball go in. It went over the ridge in the middle of the green, and all of a sudden everybody behind the green kind of jumped up and it took me a second to realise that it had gone in.

Q. And that really kick-started your round. You picked up another couple of shots after that, finishing at 4-under. How do you feel?
PHIL MICKELSON: I did. I almost eagled the next hole. I hit a couple shots in there 25 feet and almost made that one and birdied the last hole as well making a good 10-, 12-footer, so got my round to finish on a good note.

Q. So now do you feel actually within striking distance for the weekend?
PHIL MICKELSON: I think that 4-under is, with two rounds to go, I think that there's a low round out there. I think we saw a couple of guys shooting low today actually and so if I can get a hot putter and shoot 6-, 7- , 8-under par tomorrow, I should be right in it for Sunday.

Q. What was the putt you holed at 9?
PHIL MICKELSON: It was about ten feet, 20 or 12 feet.

Q. First few holes of that second nine, you couldn't hole anything, could you.
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, didn't feel like I was hitting them where I wanted them to, and when I looked up and they were in the direction I was aiming and I just couldn't get them to quite go in. To see that last one go in gave me some momentum heading into the weekend.
I spent a lit more time on the greens and maybe it's a speed, maybe I need to dive certain putts in or go aggressive with others and get that to work. I've putted these greens well in the past.

Q. Exciting to get a hole-in-one?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's great, because that got my round going. It got me under par. I was probably right on the edge of the cut. I needed to make some birdies coming in and getting the hole-in-one, gave me a little momentum. I birdied two more coming in to get to four, and again, to get within striking distance.

Q. Do you remember where you've had holes-in-one?
PHIL MICKELSON: Somebody asked me that. I don't know specifically. I remember certain shots. I remember I had a hole-in-one at the U.S. Open at Southern Hills in 2001 and I had one at THE PLAYERS Championship. I've had one or two at the Kemper Open in Maryland. I don't remember all of them.
But in tournament play, I've probably had six or seven I would say; one more now.

Q. You said 15 or 20 earlier.
PHIL MICKELSON: I think total. I've had a lot more outside of tournament play, too. I was trying to add this up a month or two ago and I have to write it down, it would be around 19 or 20 for total hole-in-ones.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297