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Posted March 9, 2015, 1:13 am
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Phil Mickelson looking to turn things around

 

Phil Mickelson is still trying to regain some of the belief he lost in his game during a disappointing 2014 season, which included a rare missed cut in the Masters Tournament.

Mickelson didn’t win on the PGA Tour last year for the first time since 2003. The three-time Masters champion, who has 42 career wins, had only one top-10 finish, missed three cuts and had three withdrawals in 2014.

In the Masters, he shot 76-73 to miss the cut – by a shot – for only the second time in his 22 years at Augusta National.

“I think last year after having such a rough year I think coming back out that my confidence has slipped a little bit and I’ve got some work to do on that,” Mickelson said. “I think the more I play, the more it will come around.”

Mickelson will get some of that confidence back if he can improve on the “visualalzation” of his shots, he said.

“I’m not worried about the actual game per se – I’m having a hard time keeping the mental picture of the shot while I’m swinging,” he said.

“It happened a lot last year, but last year the physical game wasn’t there. This year, physically my speed’s back,” said Mickelson, who undertook an extensive workout program during the off-season. “My iron play’s back. I feel good with the putter now. Yet, I’m missing shots where you can’t miss them. The only way around it is playing competition and playing rounds of golf. Standing on the range isn’t going to do it. You’ve got to get out and try to shoot a number and try to get in contention.”

To do that, Mickelson will put an emphasis on playing in the weeks leading into the Masters. He played two in a row starting in late February, skipped the next two, then planned to play the two Texas events leading into the Masters.

“I’ve got to get a better mental toughness throughout the round to get into contention and shoot the scores I want to shoot,” Mickelson said in reference to the two Texas events. “Playing competition, trying to get into contention, that’s a better way for me to prepare for the Masters than, say, going there and working on the shots.”

As he prepares for his 23rd Masters, Mickelson said he doesn’t dwell on missing the cut last year.

“I think when I go to Augusta I just feel the feelings I had as a kid, dreaming about playing there, dreaming about winning that tournament,” he said. “I just enjoy being there, the way they treat past champions. It’s the greatest feeling to go there every year.”

Longtime caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay agrees that Mickelson has put the missed cut out of his mind.

“When he thinks about the Masters, I don’t think he thinks about last year as much as he thinks about he’s won it three times,” Mackay said. “Obviously, he wasn’t happy with it at all with how it all played out last year. But he’ll go in there the way he always does: extremely excited to play and very competitive. He’ll be thinking about the tournament days, if not weeks, before we get there.”

After failing to win a tournament in 2003, Mickelson rebounded with two wins in 2004, including a his first Masters title.

“I think that after 2003 I had a similar situation where I had a terrible year and came back in 2004 determined to play well,” he said. “And it was the same type of determination I felt in the off-season this year to get back to the level of play that I know I’m capable of. I had a good off-season to get physically able to practice and work as hard as I need to to play at this level.”

Phil Mickelson

 

SLIDESHOW: Phil at the Masters

 

Masters Record

YearPlaceScoreRoundMoney
1234
201452+57673  $ 10,000
201354+971767773$ 18,320
20123-874686672$ 384,000
201127-170727174$ 54,400
20101-1667716767$1,350,000
20095-973687167$ 300,000
20085-271687572$ 273,750
200724+1176737377$ 63,800
20061-770727069$1,260,000
200510-370726974$ 189,000
20041-972696969$1,170,000
20033-573707268$ 408,000
20023-869726871$ 380,800
20013-1367696970$ 380,800
20007-271687671$ 143,367
19996-374697171$ 125,200
199812-274696974$ 64,800
199747+67674  $ 5,000
19963-665737272$ 170,000
19957-866717073$ 70,950
199334+372717573$ 8,975
199147+269737474$ 0