Phil Mickelson confident he can contend for more Majors
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Phil Mickelson believes that mentoring his teammates has played a key role in helping him improve his game.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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SINGAPORE – Fresh off a surprise run at the Masters where he finished joint second, six-time Major winner Phil Mickelson believes he can be a contender for the year’s other Majors.
At Augusta National, the 52-year-old, who had been struggling with his game, turned back the clock and put the LIV Golf controversy aside to fire a seven-under 65 on the final day to come in four shots behind eventual champion Jon Rahm.
The captain of LIV Golf team HyFlyers believes that mentoring his teammates Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele and James Piot has played a key role in helping him improve his game.
“It is 100 per cent making me better and 100 per cent helping me get back to a level of play that I believe I can play at, and I’m going to give myself quite a few chances now in some upcoming Majors because my game is coming around,” said Mickelson, ahead of the inaugural LIV Golf Singapore event this week.
“With a stretch of a lot of golf coming up in the next three to four months and three great Major championship opportunities and with my game coming around, I expect to participate, compete and contend in these events.
“I have a unique opportunity to do things at a later point in life because of the simple reason that I’ve kept myself in good shape, I’ve been fairly injury free and I’m able to work and practise the necessary amount to play at a high level.”
The American, who had a best finish of ninth during six consecutive appearances at Sentosa Golf Club from 2007 to 2012 in the Singapore Open, was glad to be back and did not hide his admiration for Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Early in his press conference on Wednesday, Mickelson called the late Mr Lee “one of the greatest in history”, and detailed how he admired his leadership and intellect.
He said: “You look at how well run Singapore is and it’s these little things that he had the foresight to implement. And then he started a country that had no natural resources and makes it one of the largest import-export docks in the world and I just thought his vision and ability to implement it is incredible. I think he’s one of the greatest leaders in history.”
Mickelson, whose Major titles span a 17-year period, will be looking to continue his fine form in Singapore, the fifth of 14 legs in the LIV season.
With his confidence back, he said: “Having it click has made the game feel much easier and now it’s starting to come together so it was a big step. Winning is a process and that gave me quite a few steps forward in the process.”
