Phil Mickelson on the Brutal Course Conditions: ‘This Feels Like a Major!’

Phil Mickelson, after day 2 LIV Golf Miami

Brightest part of my day. Phil Mickelson and Flash. Let’s welcome the captain of High Flyers GC, Phil Mickelson. Phil, you’re currently sitting at T3, two under, only three off the lead. You shot a one over today, but honestly, that was a good score considering everything that was happening out there today. We just said the low score of the day was three under. The cumulative lowest team score right now is 46 overpar. Tell us about how challenging the conditions were out there today. Uh yeah, it’s it’s very it’s very difficult. Like the the um it’s just a hard golf course and the pins were hard with no wind and they were um really difficult with wind and I started off very poorly. I was three over through three and and lucky to be that and uh was able to hang in there, fight back and and had a chance to shoot even par which was amazing. if uh unfortunately I didn’t quite get down and uh I didn’t two putt number one but um shot one over and I thought I I played really well to hang in there after that start. So yesterday you were talking about changes to your game maybe not being as uh risk uh as risky as you were previously. Was there anything that you did out there today that you were pushing the limits a little bit or did you stay pretty consistent? It wasn’t uh I I mean had a couple water balls but that it wasn’t that I was pushing the limit. I just made poor swings and and that was that. So, um I didn’t uh I didn’t try to overdo too much. A lot of times I I mean just try to hit it where you have you can have a chance and um have a chance to make par. Like I was just trying to make I thought every hole was a tough par and was able to make a couple of birdies and hang in there. I went with my three back. So after that start, uh I certainly I’m certainly happy to be here and I’m looking forward to tomorrow and the opportunity to try to uh capture my first tournament out here, first tournament win. And um it’s fun. I mean, it’s just fun being in it. So uh I’m having a great time. As far as course management tomorrow, same strategy, one hole at a time, one shot at a time, and just being patient. Yeah. Uh yeah, that’s exactly it. And you have to just execute. I mean, it takes sometimes you have to you hit great shots to 40, 50, 60 feet. I mean, just perfectly struck shots and the best you can do is 50 feet and that seems to be um the case out here and you just have to stay patient and accept that and continue to hit great shots and so um I hit a lot of I hit a lot of really good shots today. Not in the start but in the end. Great. Mike, go ahead. Phil, how much do you enjoy playing a course like this that is super tough? Do you enjoy it because it kind of separates uh the cream from from everybody else? And uh I I I mean we enjoy the challenge for sure. Yeah. And we love the the times where you can really go low and get it going, but uh this is a major championship feel. It’s a major championship difficulty and certainly major championship pins. So, it it’s been a a really uh a tough test and you had to fight hard to make pars and and gosh, for me some places I had to fight hard to make bogeies. So, I’ll uh I’m I’m excited to be here and to have a chance and that uh I’m hitting a lot of really good shots in the wind, too. And that that challenge of having to hit in the crosswinds and shape it and control your trajectory, it’s a really great great test of golf. Really a test at the highest level. All right. Thank you. Hi. Congratulations. Thank you. After two rounds of competitions, are there any changes you had to make today mentally or technically in order for you to stay on the top of the leaderboard today? Yeah. So, so it’s not so much that it was a change, it’s just that whether I make a bogey or whether I make a birdie, I have to approach the next shot like how can I make the a par? And um after I made three bogeies, I made a good good putt for a par on five. I was just trying to get it on the green to that left pin on six. I hit a great shot to 40 feet and I made the putt. Like I happened to make it. Like I wasn’t expecting it, but um those are kind of the things that you have to do is uh kind of be patient, play for par. And if you make a few birdies, great. But just be whether you make a birdie or a bogey, you’re still playing for par. Absolutely. Well, one more day rooting for you. Thank you, Go ahead. How about the Miami crowd today? I think it was double the crowd that was last year at this time. A lot of young people out there watching. Must have been fun playing in front of so many fans. Yeah, there were there was a huge crowd and and we looked back and uh we’re looking at uh Bryson’s crowd and that thing was massive coming up the 12th fairway and it’s great to see the the turnout here on the weekend in Miami um for this live golf event. It’s uh it’s really been fun and you hear the concert going on. There’s a bunch of people over there still enjoying their day. So, it’s great. It’s great. Phil, last one from Yeah. Hey Phil. Um, you know, I was watching you play and you’re driving it great. It seems like everything is sort of uh firing on all cylinders and it almost seems like you have like a quiet confidence in your game right right now. Is that something you feel or is that some something that just kind of comes with, you know, a solid play? Um, yeah. So, so it’s uh it’s a confidence, right, that I’m hitting the shots, but it’s also the ability to to um to kind of control your mind and control your thoughts and not jump ahead and not think about the, you know, couple of shots in in advance, but to be really like what what what is the best shot I can hit here? Where’s the best place I could put it? What’s the best uh option? What’s the best club selection for me to make a par, for me to hit the best shot? And so, I’ve been able to think much better. I’ve been able to process things much better, stay present much better, uh not force it, you know, much much better than I have in the past. And um you know, this is um how you deal with adversity, how you deal with bad shots, how you deal with mistakes uh or unlucky breaks, and how you come back from that, how you fight through it. Like that’s how you win majors. And this is a great test for next week. Yeah. Can you show me how to do that? That’s like every golfer’s problems. Uh, I I Yeah, I just did. And with that, thank you so much, Phil. Good luck tomorrow. Hope to see you back here. Keep it up, man.