29 September 2010
An Interview With:
PHIL MICKELSON
GORDON SIMPSON: Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen. Very pleased that we are
joined by Phil Mickelson. Phil, you've had the
experience of winning a Ryder Cup, you've been
on losing sides in The Ryder Cup. What is it that
makes this so incredibly special?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's fun for us to be
able to share the highs and the lows with other
players, players that we compete against each
other week-in and week-out; but to share the same
type of emotion that you feel in the most
challenging situations on a golf course. To be able
to share that with somebody makes this
tournament unique and is what sets it apart.
GORDON SIMPSON: You've also had the
experience of inclement weather here the U.K.,
and once again this morning. How was it out
there?
PHIL MICKELSON: Not bad at all. It was
cold and a little rainy. I'm surprised at how
accurate the weather forecasts have been, they
have been right on, and clearing up in the
afternoons. It's a beautiful day.
GORDON SIMPSON: Graeme McDowell
said the European Team is sort of the x-factor this
year; what about the U.S. Team?
PHIL MICKELSON: We are having fun.
We are having a good time, and I think that it's
hard to predict how the matches are going to go.
You just don't know what the weather is going to
be like and who is going to be playing who. I just
think it's going to be fun to see on Friday, but it's
hard to predict today.
Q. Corey was saying earlier that you
had major Dan Rooney come in and speak last
night. What did he say to you and what did you
take away from it and how important is it to
have somebody that's a combat veteran come
in and speak to you guys?
PHIL MICKELSON:
Yeah, it was
interesting, and I'd rather not discuss what was
said, but I will say that it was like the quietest that I
had ever seen an audience. It was fascinating.
Q. What did you take away from it?
Was it motivational?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't really want to -I don't want to go into that. That's kind of our team
moment, you know.
Q. Could you talk about the course? Is
it a good match-play course?
PHIL MICKELSON: I think that it is. I
think it's a wonderful golf course. It's in terrific
shape, and the holes themselves have a lot of
risk/reward, a lot of real big penalties if you miss-hit
a shot and a lot of rewards if you pull off a shot.
The par 3s are very challenging, shaved banks,
drivable par 3 seems like a risk/reward. This is
going to be a great venue for match play where
players can be aggressive without fearing the big
number, because there are a lot of double and
triple-bogeys if we were to have a stroke-play
event with conditions as such. But this is a great
place to hold a match-play event.
Q. You have not won over here in 17
years. What's the difficulty of winning this on
foreign soil, and how difficult is it going to be
to overcome?
PHIL MICKELSON:
Well, I think the
biggest challenge is the fact that the European
Team is so strong; that they have so many good
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players. That's our biggest challenge.
There are other challenges, too. They are
going to have the support of the crowd and that
can be a challenge. And there are other variables,
but it has been a long time since the U.S. has won
over on foreign soil. This is my eighth Ryder Cup,
and the U.S. Team is yet to win when I've been on
a team here on foreign soil in Europe.
It's something that the U.S. side would
really cherish if we were able to somehow pull off
the upset. But it has been a long time. We're
trying hard to turn that around.
where, even though we lost, we had so many great
memories of that week, that we shared certain
stories with.
And so win or lose, The Ryder Cup has
been nothing but an incredibly positive experience.
I certainly would like to improve on our record. I
mean, the U.S. has not played as well as we would
like, but we were able to pull off a win in the last
Ryder Cup. We are currently holding The Ryder
Cup. We brought it over here to show you what it
looks like (laughter). We are going to be fighting
hard to bring it home.
Q.
You mentioned the risk/reward
holes. As a guy who occasionally likes to take
a risk in search of a reward, when you're
playing with -PHIL MICKELSON: Are you speaking of
yourself or are you speaking of me? (Laughter).
Q. You personally, though?
PHIL MICKELSON:
Me personally?
About what?
Q. In playing with a partner, when
you're standing there and you're holding a
club, and you're talking to Bones and deciding
to go for it, and instead of having Bones say
not so sure about that, or whatever, you're
making the decision. When you have the
partner, how much are you going to look at that
guy and say, well, I hope you don't mind but I'm
going to try for this?
PHIL MICKELSON: In foursomes, it's one
thing, but in fourball it's a different deal. In fourball
you try to set it up so one guy can go for it and
usually on my two-man team I'm the guy that's
doing that. So it's a good opportunity for me to
have a partner that can keep the ball in play.
In foursomes, whether it's me or my
partner, I want them going for it. I want them
taking the risk and the challenge and if I don't pull it
off, I want the opportunity to salvage par. I like that
aggressive play in my partners and I certainly like it
in myself. You have to let the bad shots go and try
to make up for it on the last hole.
Q. You've had obviously very modest
success in The Ryder Cup in the past, no need
to tell you about that, but, a why, and b, does it
hurt?
PHIL MICKELSON: I think that, you know,
whether we have won or whether we have lost, we
have had incredible experiences during The Ryder
Cup. We have had great friendships that have
been formed on the team. We have had incredible
experiences, life experiences, that I look back on
and I saw Captain Strange out there on the course
today and we were talking about '02 at The Belfry
Q. About your record.
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, you can't look at
The Ryder Cup as an individual record, you have
to look at it as a team, and that's why when I refer
to the record, I refer to our wins and losses, yeah.
Q.
Just in relation to the Tiger/Rory
saga -PHIL MICKELSON:
Saga? Missing that.
Saga, what's that?
Q. Rory says he would really like to
play Tiger. It's been in the papers a bit lately?
PHIL MICKELSON: But that's the feel that
any player has. Any player wants to play the best
ask Tiger is ranked No. 1 in the world. That's the
type of charisma that Rory McIlroy has. He's just
like any other top player that wants to take on the
best. That's not any type of controversy or saga.
Q. Do you know if Tiger has taken
umbrage, because Corey was in here this
morning, and he certainly gave the impression
that Tiger was not happy at all with what Rory
said.
PHIL MICKELSON: They get along great,
are you kidding me? Rory is one of the nicest guys
you can imagine. He's one of the classiest guys
out on Tour ask Tiger gets along with just about
everybody, usually because he beats them and
he's nice to them when he beats them. Whether
it's in a PGA Tour event or what have you.
(Laughter).
Rory is as classy a guy as there is. I've
been paired with him a bunch and I really enjoy
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playing with him. The whole European Team is
built with a lot of classy character.
Q.
Turning attention to the main
competition of week, the ping-pong in the team
room -PHIL MICKELSON: Yes, it is, Matt Kuchar
dominates. He's very good.
Q.
We hear Tiger has the edge on
you -PHIL MICKELSON: You must be getting
your information from the same place many of your
tabloids get it. It's false. (Laughter).
No, we have had a lot of fun, and our big
match usually takes place Sunday night. So we
have just kind of practised with each other. We
have hit it back and forth, but nothing fierce yet.
Our competition is Sunday night. We play a
best-of-five series.
So far, just like the U.S. Team is holding
The Ryder Cup, so am I in our little match.
(Winking). (Laughter).
Q. You mentioned this being your
eighth Ryder Cup, and in several of the earlier
ones you went up against Monty as a player.
What do you remember about him? Is there
anything that stood out to you why he was so
successful?
PHIL MICKELSON: I've always had a
good relationship with Colin because he's got a
great sense of humour, and he and I rib each
other. We have great little banter with each other.
We've played some pranks on each other over the
years going back to the mid to late 90s.
Our matches have been always with a fun
kind of light-hearted spirit. He's played some
incredible golf. He's putted incredibly in The Ryder
Cup. I mean, some of the best putting I've ever
seen. I remember The Ryder Cup in '99 at
Brookline when he was getting heckled a little bit
by the crowd. And that was a bad idea, because
all he did was make putts left and right, and put it
right back on them. I thought his ability to bring his
best golf out in this event was inspirational.
Q. As you said, Tiger Woods is in
theory world No. 1, but do you see yourself as
leading the American attack against Europe?
PHIL MICKELSON: We are a team, and
we have to look to the players who have been on
most of the team -- or many of the teams in the
past, and that's going to be myself and Tiger
Woods. It's going to be Steve Stricker and Jim
Furyk, as guys to make sure that the players who
are here for the first time don't have any big
surprises; that they are able to get their best game
out and be properly prepared for Friday's matches.
It's not just one person. I mean, even as great a
leader as Corey is, he's putting it upon everybody
to bring out our best golf. It's not just one person
leading the way; it's everybody.
Q. You and Tiger had a shocking
partnership in the foursomes and fourballs I
remember at Oakland Hills a few years ago. Is
there any chance of you two being paired
together this week?
PHIL MICKELSON: Oh, yeah, I think
there's a great chance. Why don't you just hold
your breath and we'll see till Friday. (Laughter).
Q. Do you think you might win one?
PHIL MICKELSON: I think that in The
Presidents Cup, which is another international
event that we play, Tiger and Steve Stricker have
partnered very well together and Tiger and Jim
Furyk have partnered very well together, and I
would be surprised if that team got split up. I
would expect the same undefeated record that
Stricker and Tiger had at The Presidents Cup;
because of that record, I think that that partnership
should not be split up.
Now, granted, that was on U.S. soil and it
wasn't against Europe and now we are playing
Europe on their home soil and it's going to be a
much more difficult task but that pairing is
extremely strong, it's one of our better ones and it's
no hidden secret. Everyone seems to know that's
a pairing that works well.
I would be surprised to see those two split
up.
Q. Regarding pairings again, based on
what you said about fourball and foursomes,
Dustin Johnson might make a better partner for
you in the foursomes, but not as good a
partner in fourball where you want a partner
that keeps the ball in play; could you comment
on that, and who might be a good fourball
partner for you?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, Dustin is going
to be a good partner for anybody, regardless of
their style of play, because he is so good. I mean,
he hits the ball so solidly and keeps -- whether
he's -- he could be the straightest driver I've ever
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seen. Now, granted, he's hitting the ball longer
than just about anybody on Tour, but if you take
the percentage of degree off-line, his is probably
as straight or straighter than anybody else on Tour.
But he's also 40 or 50 yards ahead of
where the guys are that are leading driving
accuracy. So he makes an incredible partner,
because when you put an iron or 3-wood in his
hands, he's going to start hitting 85 per cent of the
fairways. I think that he would be a great partner
for me either way.
Q. I understand you don't want to go
into the details of what Major Dan Rooney said,
but could you explain, the American's apparent
fondness for associating sport with war?
(Laughter).
PHIL MICKELSON: I haven't noticed that
to be the case, but I do feel proud to be part of a
country that cares about the civil rights of people
all throughout the world and not just in our own
country.
Q. A little while ago, you used the
words -- you talked about somehow pulling off
the upset; why do you think the U.S. is the
underdog?
PHIL MICKELSON: Why do I think? Well,
there's that big Paddy Power saying they are
minus or plus whatever on the list. It's just how
everybody has listed us.
And we are playing against a very
highly-skilled team.
Q.
Two years ago, the Americans
managed to create a level of intensity over
those three days; do you feel that's starting
again in your team room?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know if the
word intensity would be the word I would use here
today on a Tuesday. That certainly may be the
case later in the week, or Wednesday -- I guess we
are Wednesday, aren't we.
I think the first couple of days we've been
here, I think fun is the word I would use. We've
had fun in the team room and played ping-pong
and laughed and joked around. We have really
had a good couple of days as far as getting
adjusted to the time and hanging out.
I think the intensity will come later in the
week when the event starts. But for now, we are
just enjoying each other's company and getting to
know the golf course and getting ready for the
competition.
Q. Had you ever known anything like
those three days before?
It just seemed
incredible the way you guys -PHIL MICKELSON: I feel that intensity,
and I think both teams feel that intensity every time
The Ryder Cup comes around and we compete.
Because whether we win or lose, we still feel that
same intensity. The difference was in '08, we were
able to bring out some of our better golf; whereas
in years before, we were not.
Q. You mentioned The Belfry in 2002, I
don't know if anyone has made you aware, but
the Celtic Manor is the hometown club of
Phillip Price who you played in the singles, one
of the best moments of his career; do you have
any memories of that?
PHIL MICKELSON: I've tried to suppress
that memory. (Laughter) since you keep bringing it
up.
I thought he was a class man. I really
enjoyed having him on the European Team all
week. He obviously played great golf and he
ended up beating me, but he did it in a classy way.
He was nice about it. He wasn't inconsiderate in
any way. He was always a professional. I
appreciated just the way he handled the whole
event.
Q. Obviously we are still more than a
few years away from this happening, but is
Ryder Cup Captain a role you would relish at
some point?
PHIL MICKELSON: Right now, I still feel
like I want to view it from a player's perspective,
and I still am learning as other captains do things
differently, and I'm learning things that I like and
don't like and what have you.
Right now, I'm enjoying the role as a
player, and I know I'm 40 and I seem old to
everybody, but I still feel like I have some more
teams in the future and I'd rather just view it from
that point of view.
GORDON SIMPSON: I'm sure there's life
in the old dog yet. Thank you very much.
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