Phil Mickelson gets few working Saturdays where he can sleep in or watch the morning cartoons with his kids.

Two-time major winner Phil Mickelson is bathed in sunlight as he prepares to drive off the first tee during practice Tuesday. (Travis Dove/Staff)

An eight-shot lead and an afternoon tee time in the BellSouth Classic gave him that chance last week. But instead of relaxing, Mickelson beat most of the field to the Tournament Players Club at Sugarloaf to cram in more than three hours of practice.

"I just wanted to continue with the preparation for (the Masters Tournament) and continue getting my iron play sharp," Mickelson said. "I ended up spending some time on the putting green as well."

Mickelson has mastered Masters prep. He played six of the first eight events on the PGA Tour this season, then took two weeks off to recharge and refocus.

He competed at The Players Championship, came to Augusta to practice for two days, then played the BellSouth.

His game appears to be peaking - he won the BellSouth by 13 strokes and set a personal best by hitting 64 of 72 greens.

"I think he's feeling pretty comfortable about his swing," said two-time Masters champ Jose Maria Olazabal. "Obviously, the way he's scoring lately, he must be playing really great golf and putting well."

Mickelson would be a favorite this week regardless. He has posted seven consecutive top-10 finishes in the Masters and owns the lowest scoring average - 71.04 - of any player who has played at least 50 tournament rounds at Augusta National Golf Club.

Four other players in this year's field have better averages, but only Tiger Woods has played more than eight rounds. Woods' average score is 70.83 in 42 career rounds.

"I'm sure he's feeling very good about his game," Woods said of Mickelson, "and this is a nice time to feel good about your game, rolling into this week."

Augusta National is among Mickelson's favorite courses, anyway. Its length, the relative absence of rough and its difficult greens fit his game.

He broke his major championship drought at Augusta two years ago, and parlayed the momentum into a second-place finish at the U.S. Open, a third at the British Open and a tie for sixth at the PGA Championship later that season. He validated his Masters win with a victory in the 2005 PGA Championship.

Still, his confidence this week comes not from his past successes, but from the way he's currently playing.

"It's not so much that I've won; it's that I've found a way to prepare for the tournaments to help me get my best game out," Mickelson said. "After two wins and some good performances, especially in 2004 in the majors, I feel like I've found a way to prepare to bring my best game out every time."

Reach Adam Van Brimmer (404) 589-8424 or at adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.

Going Low at Augusta

Phil Mickelson owns the lowest scoring average of any player who has played at least 50 tournament rounds at Augusta National Golf Club. Here's a breakdown of the best average scorers in the field for this week's event:

Source: Augusta National Golf Club