June 15, 2011 - Bethesda, MD (AHN)

Lefty turns 41 on Thursday.

That afternoon, Phillip Alfred Mickelson will tee off in the 111th U.S. Open, searching for his first win in this major championship that has eluded him for 20 years.

He's finished runner-up five times starting in 1999 at Pinehurst when Payne Stewart embraced him at the 72nd hole and told him to be happy and proud because he (Mickelson) was about to become a father.

It was the beginning of Mickelson's close-call legacy in our national championship. He was runner-up again in 2002, 2004 and 2006 then most recently in 2009. Despite his shortcomings in the Open, Mickelson is upbeat, excited, ever the optimist.

"I feel terrific," Mickelson said as he wrapped up his preparations at Congressional Country Club, a beast of a course that will be the longest in Open history. "I'm more flexible and stronger than I have been in a long time."

He's learned to live with his psoriatic arthritis. He says his swing is "longer and more flowing, it's not quite as violent."

Mickelson will need his swing and short game to be in order this week as this venue figures to be what the USGA wants it to be -- a stern test and a complete examination of a golfer's skills. It's goal is to identify the best player for the four days.

"I think it's a wonderfully fair test for such a difficult, long course," Mickelson observed. "It's a matter of picking your spots. I'm not going to play perfect golf. I'm not going to hit every fairway."

Mickelson says he plans to hit a lot of drivers, figuring he'd rather get as close to the greens as possible and deal with the rough from shorter distances. He's also added a souped-up two-iron to his bag for use on selected tee shots.

You can see a good demeanor in Mickelson, perhaps due to the fact that after supporting his wife and mother through their battles with breast cancer, he knows that golf is perhaps less important than he once viewed it.

He's also learned through his previous failures.

"If you focus on the result, if you focus so much on winning, sometimes you can get in your own way," he said. "I am trying to enjoy the challenge."

The challenge will begin on his birthday afternoon at 1:35 when he tees off the 10th hole with young Rory McIlroy and long-hitting Dustin Johnson.

Happy birthday, Lefty.

 

Available at Amazon.com:

The Psycho 100: Baseball's Most Outrageous Moments

 

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