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ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT SCOTTISH OPENJuly 12, 2013Phil MickelsonINVERNESS, SCOTLAND Q. A second round of 70 to go with yesterday's 66, give us your thoughts on that one. PHIL MICKELSON: I was a little bit off today. I was just a little off. I started out with another 3‑putt from 20 feet and I think the reason why today was a good day is because I was off, I fought hard, I shot a couple under, and I'm in position where if I get a hot round, I can make up ground and I'm playing well enough to do it. So today was a big day that I didn't let it get away from me and I was able to get it back to even by the turn and shoot a few under on the back. Tomorrow, I feel like I'm hitting enough good shots and I'm hitting it good enough with the putter that I can have a hot round and make up the ground that I can need to, but today could have gone either way. Q. We are used to you playing wonderful lob shots around the greens but our guys thought the one at 3 was exceptional; can you talk us through that one? PHIL MICKELSON: It was a good one.  To leave that short of the hole, I didn't think was possible, but it's a shot that over here, because the ground is so firm, not many people try or play. It's actually easier on firm turf, because I have so much weight forward and I'm driving the club so steeply down into the ground, that if it's soft, I just go underneath it. So this firmer ground is good to get the club to pop back up into the ball and get the ball to shoot up vertically, which is how I'm able to hit that shot. I mean, it was a good shot but it probably wasn't as hard as it looked just because the lie and everything was conducive to that. The wind was helping and so forth. Q. The second at 9 out of the rough? PHIL MICKELSON: That was lucky. We had a total mishap off the tee, I don't know what I was thinking but yesterday I hit 3‑wood down the left and I was 80 yards from going through the fairway and I was almost going down the hill. So I tried to just hug the left side with 3‑wood, and because of the different wind, it was way too much club and I just wasn't thinking clearly, because I actually hit a good tee shot right on my line into the worst lie or worst spot, and got remarkably lucky because I hit that knoll just right. If I fly it a yard further, it goes all the way to the back of the green and then obviously short goes down and it just got a great break to make birdie there. Q. 72, 8‑under for the championship, your thoughts, please? PHIL MICKELSON: Well, it was a little bit more challenging day today. It was kind of interesting on the greens, if you noticed, not too many people were making 10‑ to 20‑footers because the holes were on a location, I think after yesterday's scoring, they didn't want low scoring, put them on little ridges and ball gets right up to the hole and it would kind of break off. Today was a day where I didn't make too many putts and was a little bit off, but was able to just keep it in check and to shoot a couple under par, which when I was over par early in the round was a good thing to come back and get it to under par, because now I'm in position tomorrow if I get a hot hand, I can make up the ground that I need to to catch the leaders. Q. Did you have to bail yourself out‑‑ out of long grass ‑‑ PHIL MICKELSON: I missed the fairway on 7, but I don't know what other fairway missed. I missed the fairway on 7 and 9. 9 I hit a good tee shot. Just went right through the fairway‑‑ other than those two holes, was I in the long grass? Q. I saw your shot at 9 and it was a great shot but you were claiming you got quite lucky with your second shot on 9. PHIL MICKELSON: Sure, I was trying to make four out of that lie, I'm not thinking three, and I was trying to get it up top and not leave it short of the green. I flew it the right yardage and it caught the knoll just perfectly and ended up by the hole. Q. Do you feel poised to make a charge at the weekend? PHIL MICKELSON: I feel like I'm playing really well, even though today's score was not indicative of it. I don't know what it was, I was fractionally off. If I can get a hot hand tomorrow, I feel like I'm striking it well enough and making enough putts to shoot a really low round. Q. What was the atmosphere like with the crowds, galleries; was it enjoyable? PHIL MICKELSON: It's always enjoyable playing over here in the Scottish Open, especially when we have weather like this. Q. Typical Scottish summer? PHIL MICKELSON: I guess. Q. Your flop shot‑‑ PHIL MICKELSON: It was a good one but it wasn't‑‑ I'll probably pull that off, you know, six or seven times out of ten. The ones that I'll remember are the ones that are 1 and 10. Q. In the past, you've always taken the opportunity to go play other courses; I know Dornoch was on your list, have you managed to make it out? PHIL MICKELSON: No, my family came, so I ended up spending the day with them. That would normally be the day that I would go play. Q. Given this is the first NBC live European Tour event, they will be happy you're on the leaderboard going into the weekend? PHIL MICKELSON: Hopefully I'll make a move tomorrow and get in one of the final groups there for Sunday. Not for their benefit, for mine. I want a shot at The Scottish Open title and I'm playing well enough to do it. I just need a good round tomorrow to get me in the right position. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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