The magic shot of Phil Mickelson from the bunker

Lefty explains his shot in the third hole of the day

What did you make of the condition so far playing around? Uh, you know, we we had a pretty good break, I think, to play in before the rain came in and um they came in just the last couple of holes. So, we had a our group had a pretty good break, I thought. How would you sum up today? Uh, I I really enjoyed it. I mean, I played really well and I had uh uh an opportunity. like I really enjoy playing these conditions and and playing this tournament. So, um it’s just a lot of fun. Some Phil Magic out of bunker there. Yeah, that was a crazy one. Um it was really really one of uh maybe two poor shots I hit I felt and um that that um bunker shot that buried in the lip and then to make make it I mean that was obviously a lot of luck. Like it was crazy. I was just trying to save save bogey, you know, and I got lucky. it went in and then I I really hit a lot of good shots today and and it wasn’t too stressful. Phil, the Americans seem to appreciate this course and being in Port Rush for this event. What makes it so special or different for you? Um, I just I just find that it’s a very rewarding course if you hit good shots and very penalizing course and it seems to be um in uh consistent with the degree of how good or bad you hit it. Like if you hit a really good shot, it gets really rewarded and if you hit a really bad shot, it gets uh in a really bad spot as opposed to getting away with really bad shots and get lucky. It uh seems like it penalizes it um to the degree which it should. You hit some really smart shots today. How much is your open experience? Was that was that due to I think that um when you get conditions like this you start to fall back on uh realizing that you know 60 80 feet in the proper spot is like a good a good spot and you start to realize that you can make 20 or 30 footers out here. You don’t have to hit it six feet to make birdie. You can hit it 20 30 feet because the greens don’t break a lot. You can hit them aggressively. Um, I didn’t make a ton of long ones, but I made a lot of short ones and and just um a lot of good up and downs and lag putting, but um you you can uh you find that going back on past experience, you don’t have to press it. You don’t have to force it. Phil, what are your thoughts on the the Grant Hall situation? I know you guys are close and obviously the PGA Tour has made that sort of decision there. What’s your verdict on it? I don’t know. I I just I’ve really enjoyed playing my matches with Grant and I he’s the nicest guy. I’ve uh and he’s been very helpful for me to kind of get into the YouTube space, a space that I don’t really know a lot about. Uh and I’m starting to learn. I’m learning from him. I’m learning from Bryson and they’ve been very both very very helpful. Do you think that’s a missed opportunity though? Uh I’m not going to go into the weeds on that. I just uh really like him. What about the fans here? Uh Phil, can you say just what you think of them? I mean, the people here are just so nice and um they’re they’re very uh warm and receptive for everybody and it uh I think they’re very appreciative too that the the Open has come back here. It’s and and we as players are very appreciative too because it’s such a great golf course. Speaking of the open coming back, the women’s open wonder do you have any experience on that course there in Wales? I don’t no I I heard great things but I don’t know I don’t have any past experience after after a dozen years. How much pride do you take in adapting your game to this style of play at that stage in your career? I think I think winning the Open in 2013 is the greatest accomplishment of my career because I had to overcome and learn a style of golf. I really didn’t grow up playing and so it’s uh kind of the greatest source of pride for me as a player of of overcoming those obstacles. Uh and now I’ve come to really love it, enjoy it, and I seem to uh play well in in some of the adverse conditions too. Why was it important for you to do that? I just think it’s a sign of a complete player. I think to be able to win in all the all the conditions of of the majors that they provide and obviously at every one of US Open, but winning a Masters requires a whole different style of play than winning a US Open or winning a PGA. And then this is unique as well. And so I just think it’s a sign of a complete player. Are you surprised they haven’t gone back there yet? And there still seems gone back where? Back to New York. And that there still seems to be question about if they’ll get back there anytime soon. I don’t know. I really don’t get into the politics of that on that. Um there’s some things I get in politics on, but not that. You’d like you’d like to see it though, right? I mean, especially before you’re done playing. I love it. I mean, I I love it. And I think the great thing about the Masters is every year we get to go back and relive those memories if you’ve won it. And you know, here we are. I’ve won the Open. I haven’t had that opportunity to go back and kind of relive those memories and and compete there again. And as players, we we all enjoy that. So, I would love it if we do get back there, but it’s it’s not my call. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Bill.