The smiles, formerly abundant, have been replaced by pursed lips and a stern stare forward. The glib, meandering answers to questions - even the absurd ones - have been sliced to one- and two-word responses.

It's uncertain whether this new act from Phil Mickelson, who pledged recently to be less accommodating to the media, will help or hinder his public relations.

But if being more resolute and guarded helps him slide a green jacket onto his shoulders, the 31-year-old probably won't care what people say or write about him.

He didn't appear to care Tuesday during his pre-Masters news conference. His affable nature was long gone, about as far as he hopes to push his past Masters failures behind him this week.

Someone asked if he has reassessed his go-for-broke nature with hopes that it would help end his 0-for-38 streak in the majors.

"Not really," he replied. "No."

Another questioner wondered whether Mickelson believed he was afflicted by any particular weakness this year.

"I guess I would just say no," was the reply.

This isn't to say Mickelson is now moody to the point of incurring comparisons to Colin Montgomerie on a bad day or Vijay Singh on a good one. He just appears to believe that the old Mickelson didn't help him much when he stepped onto the golf course.

One thing is certain: Changing his act was a lot easier than changing his style, which Mickelson insists is the right approach on major courses that punish creativity and aggressiveness.

"For me to win a major, changing my style of play would not be advantageous," Mickelson said last month at The Players Championship before finishing in a tie for 28th. "It wouldn't give me the best chance to win because I need to have fun to play the game. I need to be creative. I need to attack. I won't change that - not tomorrow, not Sunday, not at Augusta or the U.S. Open or any tournament. I am not going to play the game without the enjoyment that I have right now."

Mickelson didn't feel the need to alter or expand on that statement Tuesday, saying only that he won't approach this Masters any differently than his first nine.

"I try to prepare the same way that I have prepared in the past for tournaments where I've played my best," he said.

At the Masters, Mickelson's best hasn't been good enough - often only by the thinnest of margins. He has finished seventh or better in each of his past three appearances, and he has six top 12 finishes in the past seven years.

Last year, he entered the final round in the top pairing with Tiger Woods but ended up losing to Woods by three strokes. It was the latest in a series of Sunday slides for Mickelson, who has yet to post a final round in the 60s at Augusta.

"The only thing I could really say is that in the past, I've been in contention a number of years," he said. "I've been playing well of late, and I feel like I should have a chance on Sunday."

Mickelson won the Bob Hope Classic in his first start of this season. More recently, he finished third at last week's BellSouth Classic. He had the lead early Sunday before finishing with a disappointing 73.

But what happened at the BellSouth doesn't really matter anymore. The Masters, like Mickelson's persona, is a lot different.

"There's a very special feeling," he said. "It's a different and unique feeling when you're on this particular course. Just playing practice rounds, you can sense the difference."

MASTERS RECORD

Phil Mickelson, ranked No. 2 in the World Golf Ranking released Tuesday, never has won the Masters Tournament - or any of the other three major championships. A look at his record in Augusta:

MASTERS APPEARANCES: 9

CUTS MADE: 8

BEST FINISH: Third (1996, 2001)

LOWEST 18-HOLE SCORE: 65 (Round 1, 1996)

HIGHEST 18-HOLE SCORE: 75 (Round 2, 1993)

BEST 72-HOLE SCORE: 275 (67-69-69-70, 2001)