With a flawless final-round 65, Phil Mickelson claimed a three-shot victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Mickelson finished his four rounds in Northern California at 19-under par to secure his 44th PGA Tour title. It was the 48-year old American’s fifth career Pebble Beach Pro-Am title, and second Tour victory in less than a year.
Afterwards, Mickelson met with the media at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Here are a few of the best questions and answers from the press conference.
1. LEGENDS STILL WINNING
You and Tiger have won more recently than Jordan and Rory. What does that say, how do you explain that and what does that say about golf?
PHIL MICKELSON: I just believe that when even today if I play my best, if Tiger plays his best, it’s good enough to win on any week. And the challenges there are so many great young players and so many great players in the game today that it takes our best to win.
I just think that both myself and Tiger are going to have a really, really good year this year.
2. CREDITING CASEY
Listening to you earlier it sounds like you had a change of heart about trying to finish off last night as opposed to coming back today. Could you explain that to us?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well it was the right decision and Paul made the tough call, but it was the right decision in that he protected himself and myself for the competition.
So we would have been at a severe disadvantage last night where you can’t see the targets, the greens were pretty rough, and this morning we came out and the greens were much better after they have been mode and the you can see the targets visually beautifully and also the wind happened to change a little bit and 17 and 18 were playing a lot shorter.
It worked out really well for us both and he made that tough call and sometimes I just get in my own little bubble and I don’t see the big picture and I just, I wanted to finish, I was playing well, and I just didn’t take all the factors into account.
I ended up thanking him this morning for making that tough call because I made it tougher for him and but he did the right thing in protecting both of us.
3. PEBBLE BEACH AFFECTION
You have won multiple times at various courses, would you say Pebble Beach is the course that fits your game perhaps better than any other?
PHIL MICKELSON: I would have a hard time arguing another course does. Maybe Augusta. But the thing about Pebble Beach is that when it rains and when it’s wet and that spongy poa annua you have to put the pins on a higher spot because water will collect and so those high spots are sometimes tough to get close with your iron shots.
My ability to hit some of these little low, no spinning shots, for example, number 13, I had 136 yards, I could have hit a wedge back to the hole I end up hitting a 7-iron to try to get the ball to chase up the green.
And those are hard shots that a lot of guys don’t practice and I’ve become very proficient at that and it’s become a strength of my game and that’s why I’m able to get to some of these pins and it gives me a good advantage over the course of a week.
Credit: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images, ASAP Sports
