CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Phil Mickelson says he didn’t spend a lot of time stewing over missing the cut at the Masters in his last start.
He will tee it up looking to win the Wells Fargo Championship for the first time after so many good runs at Quail Hollow Golf Club.
“You have to deal with so much failure in this game, and it’s just part of it,” Mickelson said of missing the Masters’ cut. “It’s something I’ve become accustomed to now for decades. You move on.
“Last year, one of the lowest points of my career was at the U.S. Open. I was able to turn it around and have one of the highest points, so you just don’t want to look back. You want to look forward and see what you can accomplish in the future.”
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Mickelson finished second at Merion in last year’s U.S. Open, his sixth second-place finish in that championship. He went on to win the British Open for the first time a month later.
Mickelson is looking for his first victory this year.
“I’m certainly hopeful to get in contention on the weekend and have an opportunity to capture my first title here,” Mickelson said. “This is a great event, and it’s a course I’ve played very well on in the past and have not finished it off right. I’m hopeful just having a chance on the weekend, that’s kind of the goal over the next couple of days.”
In 10 starts at Quail Hollow, Mickelson has finished T-10 or better seven times. He has finished T-5 or better five times. He said Quail Hollow was always one of his favorite courses, and he likes it even more after Tom Fazio’s makeover last year.
Fazio oversaw the rebuilding of all 18 greens, the softening of the contouring of the greens and the installation of MiniVerde Bermuda grass as a replacement for bent grass. There were also renovations of some holes, including the 16th and 17th holes, part of the famed “Green Mile” finishing holes.
“It’s one of the best tee-to-green golf courses in the world, and what Tom Fazio has done is just perfect, just perfect,” Mickelson said. “He has enhanced it.
“I’ve always thought this is one of the best tee-to-green courses, if not the best tee-to-green course I’ve ever played. Now that the greens complement it, it’s one of my favorite courses I’ve ever played.”
