Lefty unfazed by Tiger tales as Open tee-off looms

PHIL MICKELSON hardly settled in his seat in the media centre before he was hit with the inevitable question.

Surely, this was his best chance of winning the Open Championship, given that Tiger Woods was missing?

He was waiting for it, of course, and wasn’t fazed by suggestions the majors are devalued without you know how.

“I am working hard to get my game ready for this week,” he said quietly.

“I’ve practiced hard, I’ve developed a good game plan for this event and I am excited to compete against whoever is in the field.”

It didn’t really answer the question, so another attempt from the floor was made: “I mean, you can’t say anything in particular about Tiger?”

The smile wasn’t a whole lot wider as he quipped: “Oh, I’m sure I could. But right now my focus, again, is this week as I’ve got to get my game sharp. Last week I was able to identify some of the areas that needed improvement. That is all I care about. With it blowing as it is today, the short game is going to be crucial.”

Mickelson claims he still hasn’t settled on what clubs will be in his bag. He won the 2006 Masters using two drivers and tackled Torrey Pines in the US Open last month without a driver and with four wedges in the first two days. “I have a hybrid and a two iron and one or the other will be in the bag,” he said. “Today, it would have been the two iron because it goes lower and the wind and the cross winds would have less of an effect than the hybrid that gets up easier. But if there’s no wind, it could be the hybrid.”

Considerable alarm has arisen about the new 17th green, which is full of humps and hollow, tiers and undulations. Mickelson is prepared to wait to see how it pans out, pointing out that it’s a par five reachable with a good drive and a three or four iron.

“It may not look consistent with the other greens but I still think it’s a wonderful hole,” he said. “It’s a very strategic green for your second shot. It seems like it’s set up coming in on your second shot as opposed to a third shot approach because there are places around the green where there are pretty easy ups and downs to certain pins and others that are almost impossible. It’s certainly much more dramatic than the other greens.”

Mickelson had to wait an agonisingly long time before capturing his first major at Augusta in 2003. Now the mantle of “greatest golfer in the world never to win a major” has fallen on Sergio Garcia. The bookmakers believe the Spaniard can rectify that situation this week. Mickelson agrees.

“I have seen a noticeable change in his short game,” he said. “He’s become much stronger since he’s been working with Stan Utley. I think a major is very close. I don’t think it’s something to worry about that he came so close last year and still didn’t win. His major is coming very soon.”

As for his own prospects, he would only admit: “I love the way the golf course is shaping up for this championship. It’s just a beautiful place. I had a chance to play a few rounds and get acclimated to the time change before going to the Scottish Open. I know we’re all excited to be here. There are very good facilities here to get some badly needed work done on the short game. I’ve spent some time with Dave Pelz and the chipping and putting are beginning to feel good. And I have another day and a half for fine tuning.”