WGC ANDERSEN CONSULTING MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 25, 1999

Phil Mickelson

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, we had a pretty close match. Lee was 1-up at the turn, and there were two holes on the front side that it looked like I was going to win No. 5. Lee was buried in a bunker. And 9, he was 150 yards back on 9, and both times I was right up around the green. He got up-and-down both times and I didn't, and he ended up winning those two holes. That was a big turnaround. He won 9 to go 1-up when it looked like I was going to win it going 1-up. He had some momentum on his side. On 10, he gave it back; 3-putted from about 30 feet. That 3-putt took away a little bit of his momentum. Then on 12 and 13 I made an eagle and birdie and won those two holes and we parred the rest of the way. I thought the course was playing difficult to make birdies. It was okay to make pars, but we both had a tough time getting the ball close with the greens being firm and the wind early in the morning; so pars were a pretty good score. But, 12 and 13, the eagle and the birdie turned out to be enough.

PHIL MICKELSON: I do. I think that this format is the most mentally-draining event. But it is also the most enjoyable to play in, in my opinion. The preparation and the anxiety starts building immediately. My match tomorrow is already creating a lot of anxiety and nervousness, and I can't wait until I get out on the golf course. And really, it is only those three to four hours that it is easier to relax because I am in a position to do something. It is very difficult to sleep at night and knowing who you have to play, but not knowing what you have to shoot.

PHIL MICKELSON: In a sense, yes, because there are 7, 8, 10, 15 guys that can shoot a low number and win. You have to look at, in a major, what score is a good score to post after 72 holes. So going the last day, you are thinking: Well, I need to go out shoot 1- or 2-under par or what-have-you. Here, I played well today. I shot 3-under, and in a lot of matches, a lot of cases, that would have been enough to win; and in some instances, it wouldn't have been enough. I was just fortunate that although Lee played all right, he just -- he didn't you know, I beat him by 2-1. So that is the difficulty is not knowing. That is what builds that anxiety.

PHIL MICKELSON: Sure, we all are. We knew there were going to be top seeds that lost, but we didn't expect 90% of them to lose, you know.

PHIL MICKELSON: As it turns out, we both have a ski trip planned at the same location, the same time; so we are going to hook up for a few runs.

PHIL MICKELSON: No. No. Because the thing is that Lee and I get along great. We are friends. We enjoy each other's company and yet, to be put in this situation, it is difficult. I think that -- I don't know the tennis tour that well, but I would think it would be very difficult to have close relationships or good friends that are on the circuit because it is such a win-or-lose situation in tennis. In golf, it is not necessarily like that. You can play well and have a Top-10. Guys come up and say, Hey, great playing. And you say, Thanks, I played well last week, what-have-you. But here, it is more cutthroat. It is either you win or you lose; so because we are not used to that, it is difficult for some of the players to deal with.

PHIL MICKELSON: Sure, because I have played here a bunch and I have played well here. I have won twice in the past. So I have memories to fall back on, but the golf course is different than when I won last year. It is much faster. The fairways are rolling. I hit 6-iron into No. 12 today and that -- I would never hit 6-iron in January. So, it is playing totally different. The greens are much firmer and obviously the rough is up. But it is somewhat spotty. I mean, if you get it trampled down, you are okay. But the greens are so firm and the fairways are so much faster than I am used to, it is playing totally different.

PHIL MICKELSON: Typically, no, because the guys that I have played or -- you know, they have played here. A lot of the guys here have played here a bunch and know the course very well. Maybe Joe didn't know yesterday. He hadn't played the course much, but that really didn't affect the match. It is pretty easy to discover that in practice rounds. That is what you are looking for.

PHIL MICKELSON: No. No, because right now the only guarantee is that I am playing 18. I would love to play 36, but if I don't play those first 18 well, then the second is for not. It is like that every single match and that is why -- to be honest, I didn't even know that we were playing 36 holes tomorrow. I didn't know the format. All I knew was that first match I was playing Joe Ozaki. I didn't really know who I was going to play if I was able to win. I haven't looked at the brackets. I could care less, because if I lose the match, it is all irrelevant. That is why I think in Match Play when I won the Amateur in the 1990 it was that type of thought process, or it was that one match at a time. In fact, last night when I was thinking about this match I never even got past the drive off the first hole, so, it is so important not to look ahead. When I was 15 years old I played the U.S. junior and a guy came up to me and said: Hey, we are going to meet in the third round. He lost the first round. And so from when I was 15 years old I will not ever make that mistake. And it sounded so bad, you know, we are going to meet in the third round like he was going to -- no sweat. He lost first round.

PHIL MICKELSON: Well I lost first round too. (laughter). So I won't be making that mistake again.