What they said: Phil Mickelson

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Q. Thoughts after round one?

PHIL MICKELSON: I thought I played well today. I thought the scores weren't going to be as low as they were. Hunter had such a great round and there were some 4-or-5-under par rounds.

So my 1-under par round is not as good as I thought it would be, but I thought I played well and I'll take it. I obviously need to make up some ground tomorrow and have a good day.

Q. What do you want to improve on to make up some ground tomorrow?

PHIL MICKELSON: I hit the ball well today. I don't know what to say. I thought I played pretty good. I have to find a way to shoot a little bit lower.

Q. What do you think about tomorrow on the front nine, since Hunter started off pretty well, will that help you get a fast start?

PHIL MICKELSON: The front nine, the first five holes, you need to get off to a quick start, because there are some birdie opportunities there. In the middle part of the course, it's very difficult. That's kind of the meat of the course.

And then finishing up, there's three, four, five birdie holes coming in.

Q. You're very popular in the metropolitan area, how were the fans supporting you?

PHIL MICKELSON: Thank you, it was great. We had a lot of people turn out, a lot of people pulling for Padraig having won the last two majors. My Ryder Cup partner, Kenny Perry, played well and shot a few under par. I think things are shaping up. With Hunter playing well today, that will certainly help his chances for getting picked.

Q. Seeing Hunter at 9-under, were you wondering where he was playing?

PHIL MICKELSON: A little bit, yeah, I was surprised to see so many birdies, but I guess it's out there if I play well. It's certainly a lower round than I saw happening.

Q. There was a big grouping at Torrey Pines and then --

PHIL MICKELSON: It is, and I think that's my favored thing about the FedExCup is the pairings. Last year, one two and three played together. It was fun to play with Tiger and Vijay last year at Boston, or the Deutsche Bank, last year. To me, that's my favorite thing about it.

Q. What is it going to take to shoot a low round on this course?

PHIL MICKELSON: That's a good question, because you can drive the ball well and hit good iron shots. But if you don't come into the green properly, it's hard to get it close, because the subtleties will pull the ball away from the hole.

I think that's the biggest challenge is controlling the iron shots to get it close to the hole because of all the mounding on the green that pulls the ball away.