Phil Mickelson welcomes Augusta storm clouds

Phil Mickelson is relishing the poor weather conditions being forecast for the first two rounds of the Masters and the prospect of less experienced players shooting themselves out of contention at Augusta National.

The three-time champion played his first Masters in 1991, the year Ian Woosnam edged out Jose Maria Olazabal and Tom Watson, and has played 90 competitive rounds at a course he calls his “probably favourite place on earth”.

Mickelson, 46, has accumulated nine top-three finishes in his 24 appearances, winning in 2004, 2006 and 2010 and as he embarks on his 25th Masters at the same age Jack Nicklaus was when he won a surprise sixth green jacket, the world number 18 wants his experience of Augusta National to be a telling factor.

That includes playing the revered course in the most difficult of conditions, which could well be the scenario during today’s opening round. Yesterday saw a tornado warning issued for the second time this week while today, early morning showers were expected followed by winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour gusting up to 40 mph. Tomorrow’s second round will be chilly with winds of 15 to 20mph gusting up to 30mph.

“I think the last year and a half, I’ve worked really hard to get my game back to the level that I expect and the level that I’ve strived for. If I can play anywhere close to the way I played at the British Open last year and The Ryder Cup, I should be able to give myself a good opportunity for Sunday,” Mickelson said.

“What I like most about this week is that Thursday, Friday, the weather is going to come in and that’s going to magnify the misses for a lot of players, which means that you need to miss it in the correct spots. Even though you might miss it big, if you’re in the right spot, you can take advantage of your short game and salvage a lot of pars, and I hope to rely on that knowledge and skill to keep myself in it heading into the weekend where players less experienced with the golf course will possibly miss it in the wrong spots and shoot themselves out.”

Mickelson clearly cherishes his three Masters victories in a stellar career that has also seen him win the 2005 PGA Championship and The Open in 2013. During his pre-tournament press conference, he was asked to complete the sentence: ‘Being Masters champion is better than...’

“Well, being a Masters champion is better than not being a Masters champion,” the American replied. “I think that’s stating the obvious.

“I think that for a golfer who plays golf for a living, who loves the game, I can’t think of a place that you would want to win at and be a part of the history more than Augusta National, because you get to come back every year, be a part of this tournament. You get treated like royalty here as a past champion. I just can’t get over the way the club, the chairman, everybody here, all the members treat the past champions. It’s the greatest feeling to be a part of that.

“And for somebody like myself who grew up dreaming of this tournament, dreaming of winning here, to actually do it, still feels like a dream. Even having won it a few times, every one feels dreamlike. And I look back and still can’t believe that I get to be a part of this every year. It’s the best.”