98th PGA Championship: Phil Mickelson still loving the challenge
By Sam Drury
Last Updated: 30/07/16 10:34pm
Phil Mickelson insisted the challenge of competing alongside the world's best players still drives him on, following his third-round 68 at the PGA Championship.
That leaves the American at one under for the tournament and some eight shots off the lead but while his chances of victory this week appear to be over, Mickelson's determination to succeed remains as strong as ever.
"I love the challenge," he said. "I love the challenge of trying to play at the highest level. I love the challenge of trying to compete out here. I love the opportunity.
"I was excited about the opportunity to play with Rory [McIlroy] and Jason [Day]. I thought that I had put in a lot of work in the last year. I was excited where my game was at.
"I've been shooting some really low scores in the last week or two, not just from the British but from there to here. I really thought I was going to go out and light it up."
The 46-year-old admitted that for a couple of years, he struggled with his game but having made some improvements, both his confidence and expectations are on the rise.
"I fell through a tough two or three-year stretch where I wasn't in control of my game," explained Mickelson.
"I wasn't in control of my ball striking and I struggled a little bit with the putter and now all those things are starting to come back together.
"Now I'm starting to gain some confidence in my ball striking. I'm starting to putt. I've had a very good putting year, so my expectations are pretty high."
Indeed, it is those expectations, further enhanced by his performance at The Open, that Mickelson believes have hampered him at Baltusrol this week.
"I put a little bit too much pressure on myself and forced it a little bit," he added. "I needed to take a step back and be a little more patient. This was a good opportunity to put it together, even though I got off to a bad start yesterday.
"I just think that my expectations had grown. They've really gone up a lot since the British and since I started to play at that level, I'm kind of forcing the issue rather than letting it happen the way I did there."
