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WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

November 7, 2009

Phil Mickelson

SHANGHAI, CHINA

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We would like to welcome the 54-hole leader here at the WGC - HSBC Champions, Phil Mickelson, two-shot lead heading into the final round. Maybe some opening comments on three great days for you and today some pretty good golf under some tough competition.
PHIL MICKELSON: The weather was more difficult today with the winds being stronger and from a different direction. And I was pleased to shoot 67. It was a good round and I was pleased with the round.

Q. Could you tell us about your shot on 9 from the bushes, the right-handed one.
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I was up against the tree and I just took a pitching wedge and flipped it over and chipped out into the fairway. I said to Bones after I did that, I thought that was a good omen, because I ended up winning another World Golf Championships at Doral having to hit a right-handed shot, as well, in the final round. I thought that might have been a good omen, even though it led to a bogey.

Q. Of the leading players from the second round, your score today was the only one to break sort of sub-70. What did you do differently today, do you think?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I made more birdies I guess. But the biggest thing was I didn't make too many big mistakes. I had the bogey on 9 but kept the ball in play and took advantage of some of the other birdies holes.
This course played kind of backwards today in the sense that what was normally birdie holes were more difficult because of the different wind. And holes that were normally the challenging pars, were actually the birdie holes, and so that made the course play a little different, and I was able to capitalise on those holes, especially early on.

Q. I wonder if you can just talk about the final five holes, be curious how you played 14, and how much you had left in on 15?
PHIL MICKELSON: I was trying to reach 14 in two and I hit a drive in the left bunker and wasn't able to, so I hit a 4-iron out and hit a lob-wedge to about six feet and made that putt. It was a lot harder shot than it may have looked because of the wind and pin position, but I hit a good shot to six feet and made it.
On 15, I hit a good drive right down the middle. It ended up going through the fairway but I only had 158 yards to the hole. So I hit a 9-iron.

Q. Do you recall what you hit yesterday? Or what yardage you've had previous in the week?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't. I hit an 8-iron yesterday but it was a lot further back. Hit a 9-iron to about 15 feet and made that.

Q. And secondly, having you and Tiger in the last group together is nothing new; does it feel any it different being here than anywhere else in the States? Does it feel like the stakes are just as high and the energy is just as high?
PHIL MICKELSON: It is a pretty neat feeling here. I noticed the galleries have been quite large and enthusiastic, and it seems as though people are really starting to support this tournament and the game of golf, which is very exciting.

Q. When you talk about playing that goes back, is there one particular hole where you can say it's normally a driver and wedge today it was a driver and 3-iron or something? Is there one where it really did swap around?
PHIL MICKELSON: I thought that 8 played quite different. 8 was a birdie hole and it was a tough drive, it was a tough lay up and it was a tough third shot. I thought that it was a good par.
I thought No. 9 played very difficult into the wind. A lot harder to hit the fairway, a lot harder to get past the bunker, a lot longer shot in.
I thought 11 would play dead into the wind. Now I hit a lob-wedge and a sand wedge into that green, twice, the first two rounds, and today I hit a driver, 6-iron.
So 11 was a hole that -- and 12, as well. You know, 12 was a hole you could -- sorry. 12 is the par 3. I meant 13, the par 4. That was dead into the wind. Before it was a driver and again I hit a lob-wedge, and today I hit a pretty good 8-iron and wasn't quite enough.
So those holes played quite differently.

Q. Just again going on the difference between here and playing in America, we think it's the Deutsche Bank a couple of years ago, can you remember the last time you played with Tiger in the final round?
PHIL MICKELSON: We played the Masters this year. I don't know how often, how many times it's happened. But I know we are both looking forward to it. I think it will be a fun day and we are excited to be playing in the last group here in China.

Q. Were you to win here tomorrow, you won here two years ago when it was just the HSBC Champions event, and now it is a World Golf Championships; would you be disappointed that it wouldn't count as a U.S. Tour win?
PHIL MICKELSON: You know, let's talk about that tomorrow. I've got enough to think about than with hypotheticals on if I was going to win or not. I'm trying to get in a good frame of mind to go shoot a good round.
I know that I've got a tough day ahead of me playing with Tiger, playing with Nick Watney, who has been playing very good golf, and right in front of us is another group of strong players with Ryan Moore, and Lee Westwood is right up there, and there's somebody else right there at 10 or so. There's a lot of good players that are in this event, and rather than look forward, I just want to kind of stay in the present here and think about the next round.

Q. You haven't been to the driving range for the earlier two rounds. Do you feel tired or do you have other reasons?
PHIL MICKELSON: I rarely practise after I play a round. I find that I'm tired and don't usually get good practise in. Par if I need to work on my game, I will usually come out and do it before I tee off.

Q. Golf is getting popular in China, as we can see a lot of young people are trying to pick up the game, and actually some of them are really good. What do you want to say to the young men in China besides polishing their game, what else do you want to say to them?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I played with some of the Juniors in the Pro-Am earlier this week, and you're right, there are some wonderful young players here in China.
It's important; I hope that the Olympic foundation will get proper instruction, proper golf academies to help these young kids in the right direction. Because you're right, there is a lot of talent here in China, and with the correct instruction, I think that there will be many world-class players that come from China.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Phil Mickelson, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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