[h=3]
Phil Mickelson[/h]
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
Q. The back nine didn't go the way you wanted. What would you attribute that to?
PHIL MICKELSON: It is a beautiful day here, and you cannot get a more majestic day here at the Masters. I just played terrible. There's no way around it. I'm just not hitting very good golf shots, missing it in bad spots and not really knowing which side I'm going to miss it on. So my play has been beyond terrible, and that's certainly disappointing. But where else would you rather be than Augusta National with this kind of weather on a weekend? It's just spectacular, and certainly I wish I played better, but it sure is fun being here.
Q. Was there one thing that led to you playing, in your words, terrible?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know what's going on, but I've been struggling with my ball‑striking. The putter actually feels good even though I missed a bunch. It doesn't feel good. The ball‑striking, I just don't know where it's going to go. But again, I'm having fun here, but it's disappointing. This is the one event I look forward to more than anything, and it's just kind of heartbreaking to play the way I've been playing. Disappointed in myself.
Q. Specifically on 11 and 12, how frustrating were those two holes?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I'm 4‑over for the tournament, so it's not like I'm right in the thick of it and had a heartbreaking shot that went in the water and cost me the tournament. I just hit a couple of terrible shots.
But that's kind of the way it is out here. What I love about Augusta National is when you play well you can score really well, like Nick Watney did the back nine, shot a bunch under par, and if you play the way I did you shoot quite a few over. That really gives the players who are playing well a chance to separate themselves and identifies the best player.
Q. Looking ahead there's a possibility that you could be paired with Guan, the 14 year old, tomorrow.
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, that would be cool. I saw him earlier here last week as we were getting ready for the tournament. What a classy person he is. He's got a great game. I hope that happens. That would be cool. I wish we were a lot lower score, but hopefully we'll have a chance to do it.
Q. With the Tiger ruling and the viewer that called in, that rule that's put in to protect you guys to prevent callers from disqualifying people, knowing your knowledge of the situation, do you think Tiger should have played today?
PHIL MICKELSON: You know, I didn't get a chance to see what happened. I played so early this morning, I woke up, I didn't really watch or read anything, and somebody was saying something about a two‑shot penalty. I don't really‑‑ quite honestly I don't know what happened yet to even comment on it, and I'm sorry, I'm just unaware. I just got done with the round and haven't heard.
Q. Was that almost a strange situation to walk off the course with one score and come back with an extra two shots the next day?
PHIL MICKELSON: Honestly I don't even know what we're talking about to be honest. I just kind of got done playing and just kind of hearing. I don't know the details, so it's a little premature for me to say anything.
Q. The disappointment, for three months your focus pretty much is on this tournament‑‑
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah.
Q. And you come here and you don't‑‑ you make some changes to your equipment and do all the other things that you think is going to work, and obviously after three rounds it hasn't come close to working. Your disappointment has to be a little more than what you're showing right now.
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, I am disappointed. If I look back on it, it's been my iron play that's been very poor, poor iron shots in the water, poor distance control, missing it in the wrong spots, that wedge yesterday on 9. I just had some poor iron play this week, and unfortunately that's kind of been the case this year for me with the exception of Phoenix. I just have not hit my irons the way I've been hitting them the last few years.