Houston no problem for lefty Phil Mickelson

Shooting a good score when you’re not quite playing your best is an art form that Rory McIlroy is only beginning to learn.

He’s still not quite a master and if he wants to pull on that green jacket at Augusta National next week, he might start looking at Phil Mickelson’s build-up to the season’s opening major.

The 45-year-old left-hander has won three Masters titles since 2004 and while form the week before hasn’t always meant much — he was 10th in the BellSouth Classic in 2004, won that event before his second Masters win in 2006, and finished 35th in Houston before winning his third Masters — it’s been a useful event for brushing away those cobwebs and settling nerves.