LIV GOLF MIAMI

April 5, 2025

Phil Mickelson

Trump National Doral

HyFlyers GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome the captain of HyFlyers GC, Phil Mickelson. You're currently sitting at T3, 2-under, only three off the lead. You shot a 1-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 3-under. The cumulative lowest team score right now is 46-over par. Tell us about how challenging the conditions were out there today.

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, it's very difficult. It's just a hard golf course. The pins were hard with no wind, and they were really difficult with wind, and I started off very poorly. I was 3-over through three and lucky to be that.

I was able to hang in there, fight back, and had a chance to shoot even par, which was amazing. Unfortunately I didn't quite get down and I didn't two-putt No. 1, but shot 1-over, and I thought I played really well to hang in there after that start.

Q. Yesterday you were talking about changes to your game, maybe not being 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?

PHIL MICKELSON: I had a couple water balls, but it wasn't that I was pushing the limit, I just made poor swings and that was that.

I didn't try to overdo too much. A lot of times I just tried to hit it where you can have a chance to make par. I thought every hole was a tough par and was able to make a couple of birdies and hang in there. What am I, three back? After that start, I'm certainly happy to be here and I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the opportunity to try to capture my first tournament out here, first tournament win. It's just fun being in it. I'm having a great time.

Q. As far as course management tomorrow, same strategy, one hole at a time, one shot at a time and just being patient?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, that's exactly it and you just have to execute. Sometimes you hit great shots to 40, 50, 60 feet. Just perfectly struck shots and the best you can do is 50 feet and that seems to be the case out here. You just have to stay patient and accept that and continue to hit great shots.

I hit a lot of really good shots today, not in the start but in the end.

Q. Phil, how much do you enjoy playing a course like this that is super tough? Do you enjoy it because it kind of separates the cream from everybody else?

PHIL MICKELSON: We enjoy the challenge for sure. We love the times where you can really go low and get it going, but this is a major championship feel. It's a major championship difficulty and certainly major championship pins. It's been a really tough test, and you had to fight hard to make pars, and gosh, for me, some places I had to fight hard to make bogeys.

I'm excited to be here and to have a chance. I'm hitting a lot of really good shots in the wind, too, and that challenge of having to hit in crosswinds and shape it and control your trajectory, it's a really great test of golf. Really a test at the highest level.

Q. After two rounds of competition, are there any changes you had to make today mentally or technically in order for you to stay on top of the leaderboard today?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, 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 a par. After I made three bogeys, I made a good putt for par on 5. I was just trying to get it on the green to that left pin on 6. I hit a great shot to 40 feet and I made the putt. I happened to make it. I wasn't expecting it.

But those are the things that you have to do, kind of be patient, play for par, and if you make a few birdies, great, but whether you make a birdie or a bogey, you're still playing for par.

Q. How about the Miami crowd today? I think it was double the crowd last year at this time, a lot of young people out there watching. Must have been fun playing in front of so many fans.

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, there was a huge crowd. We look back and we're looking at Bryson's crowd, and that thing was massive coming up the 12th fairway, and it's great to see the turnout here on the weekend in Miami for this LIV Golf event. It's really been fun. You hear the concert going on, there's a bunch of people out there still enjoying their day. It's great.

Q. I was watching you play and you're driving it great. Seems like everything is sort of firing on all cylinders. It almost seems like you have a quiet confidence in your game right now. Is that something you feel, or is that something that just kind of comes with solid play?

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, so it's a confidence. I'm hitting the shots. But it's also the ability to kind of control your mind and control your thoughts and not jump ahead and not think about a couple shots in advance but to be really, like, what is best shot I can hit here, what is the best place I can put it, what's the best option, what's the best club selection for me to make a par, for me to hit the best shot.

I've been able to think much better. I've been able to process things much better, stay present much better, not force it much better than I have in the past.

How you deal with adversity, how you deal with bad shots, how you deal with mistakes or unlucky breaks and how you come back from that and how you fight through it, that's how you win majors, and this is a great test for next week.

Q. Can you show me how to do that? That's every golfer's problem.

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I just did.