|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
THE HONDA CLASSICFebruary 25, 2015Phil MickelsonPALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA Q. How is the game compared to last time you were out? PHIL MICKELSON: I felt like tee‑to‑green, the game was really good, and I'm hopeful I kept it there and just needed to work a bit on the greens. I putted great in the off‑season but started the season terrible. Just trying to put it all together. We'll see. I don't know when it's all going to come together but I feel like starting the year, I felt ready and was able to work on my game and practice uninhibited and I feel like I put in the time so hopefully the scores will start to reflect that. I don't know when that will happen but hopefully soon. Q. Can you give us a reading on your confidence level with the putter compared to when we talked at Torrey? PHIL MICKELSON: I can putt as great as possible back home, but until you come out on Thursday; you need to make putts and seeing the right line and getting the right speed and everything matched up, it won't matter. But it's the one area that I was not overly concerned in the off‑season. It was just the one area that let me down the first couple of weeks, but it's a long season. Q. Is that something that you can even get a gauge on‑‑ can you tell at all today, are you feeling better over the ball? PHIL MICKELSON: A little bit, yeah, you can tell. Ball starting on line, and the challenge for me on bermudagreens is just seeing the right breaks, you know, reading the greens properly, because you have another factor, other than just the break or the contour, you have the grain. So getting both of those combined together and reading the greens properly, that will be the challenge. But it's a fun challenge. That's why we play. That's what we enjoy about the game. Q. How much more of a power game is golf now than when you came on TOUR, and to what extent does that favor some of the younger guys you're seeing now? PHIL MICKELSON: It's a significantly different game than 20‑plus years ago when I first came out. Guys are in better shape, guys are swinging harder and the equipment now accommodates for greater speed. Back when I started out the golf ball spun so much, you could swing it harder, hit it farther and it would just spin more and wouldn't really go that much farther. Now it's a significantly different game. The last couple years, I have not had the speed that I am accustomed to, and this year, I do, so I think that this year is going to be a much better year. Q. Have you thought at all about making a move like so many other golfers have down here to Palm Beach County? PHIL MICKELSON: Of course it's crossed my mind. There's a lot of factors with kids and whatnot. But it's a great place for guys to work on their game and get ready for the TOUR, and given that much so much of the TOUR is played back east, it's understandable reasoning as to why so many TOUR players are here. It's a great place to be. Q. Obviously Tiger is away working on his game. Just wondering, can you get to a point where you've been healthy enough to play but have not felt like your game is tournament ready‑‑ I know everybody's different, but I wonder how long that would take in your mind, yourself, for example, if you felt that way? PHIL MICKELSON: It happens where we just don't feel like our game is sharp and we take another week off and prepare. That's certainly happened in my case a number of times. But usually it's just one week, and I'm ready to get out and test the work that I've put in to see what the score is. Q. With the way the game has changed, do you think it's harder to win in your 40s now‑‑ PHIL MICKELSON: You mentioned the way the game has changed. I agree with the 40‑‑ Q. Does is it a make it harder to win in your 40s, a 40‑year‑old winning on Tour compared to ten or 20 years ago? PHIL MICKELSON: Not at all. It doesn't, because it makes the short iron play, distance control and, ability to get to tucked pins much more important and that happens to be the strength of my game. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|