Nicklaus.com caught up with Jack Nicklaus to see what the six-time Masters champion had to say about Phil Mickelson's first victory at Augusta National and first major championship win.

You were very vocal with your pick of Phil Mickelson to win the Masters, correct?

"I had been saying for two or three weeks that Mickelson was my pick. Then, I said earlier in the week in a few interviews that Phil had quietly played well leading up to the Masters and that he was my pick to win it. I saw Phil at the beginning of Masters' week and told him that I was rooting for him. I thought that the way Phil handled himself at The Presidents Cup-not winning a match or winning a point, yet supporting everybody and being a great teammate-that he was my most valuable player on that team. I told him that in a little note I wrote to him after his victory.

"I felt that a guy who was so gracious in the way he handled himself in defeat, some good things were destined to happen to him. I was so proud of the way he handled himself at The Presidents Cup, and I was so proud and pleased to see him win the Masters. That is not taking anything away from Ernie Els. Ernie had a terrific Masters Tournament. Either player would have been a wonderful champion."

What did you see in Phil's game between last year and this year, or even between The Presidents Cup and the Masters, that led you to believe he could win?

"Phil played very well at The Presidents Cup, but it just so happens that everyone he faced played better. At Augusta, I saw Phil Mickelson play well and play under constraint and control, without yielding to a temptation to overpower the golf course. Phil has plenty of power, so he doesn't need to do that. Phil had to pick his spots and he did.

"I watched all of the final round and some of the third round, and he never varied in his approach. Phil did what he had to do to win in major championships."

Now that Phil Mickelson has won his first major championship, how much easier will it be to win a second and do you expect him to win more?

"I've always said that winning breeds winning. I'm sure, for Phil, the monkey is off his back. For him, it will be a lot easier to win the next one."