Mickelson might be the leading challenger

Phil Mickelson smiled as he stood on the top shelf of the mammoth, split-level 18th green at Valhalla Golf Club on Tuesday.

He stroked a 60-foot putt that sped down the slope and curled 15 feet to the right before rolling just past the lip of the cup. As the ball neared the hole, Mickelson raised his right hand and pointed the putter at the sky, playing to the crowd as if he were winning his first major championship.

Back to reality. It was just the final stroke in a practice round with Rocco Mediate, Tom Scherrer and Jim Carter.

Despite the acting job on the closing hole, Mickelson can envision himself winning this week's PGA Championship. Coming off a string of strong performances, and playing on a course that seems perfectly suited to his game, he enters the tournament relaxed and on a roll.

Is this the week he breaks through in a major?

"I think everybody enters the week feeling that," he said. "I feel confident heading into here after playing well the last two weeks and progressively playing better as the week wore on last week.

"Factor that in with a golf course that I like very much, I have high expectations. But it still doesn't mean anything unless I perform, unless I go out and shoot a low number."

While the presence of Tiger Woods created a mob scene at Valhalla on Tuesday, Mickelson's group played in relative peace and quiet.

Despite three wins and more than $3 million in earnings, Mickelson's glittering year seems to have been pushed into the shadows by Tigermania. He's third on the money list, right behind Ernie Els and almost halfway to Woods' $5.9 million.

Mickelson has won 16 times in his eight full seasons as a pro but because he's never stolen the show in a major, the 30-year-old player has been largely unappreciated. He finished second to Payne Stewart at the U.S. Open in 1999 and was third in the 1994 PGA Championship and the 1996 Masters.

That could change by Sunday afternoon. Mickelson led after the first two rounds of the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla before falling into a tie for eighth. More recently, he was a runner-up to Els at The International and last week tied for fourth at the Buick Open.

"Phil Mickelson has been playing wonderful golf every week," said Curtis Strange, TV analyst and current U.S. Ryder Cup team captain.

Mickelson loves courses, such as Valhalla, that were designed by Jack Nicklaus. He has two wins at Castle Pines in The International, and has a history of playing his best on the Golden Bear's layouts. Many of Nicklaus' designs are built around his own ability to hit a high, soft power fade. A lefty, Mickelson plays a draw and hits the ball as high as anyone on Tour.

Woods, without mentioning Mickelson, all but pointed a finger at him as one of the favorites.

"I think it sets up well for anybody who hits the ball high," Woods said. "You've got to be pretty accurate with your irons and hit the ball with lots of spin."

So Valhalla is the ideal venue for Mickelson.

"I enjoy this style of course very much," he said. "It's very similar to Castle Pines."

There has been criticism of Valhalla as a site for a major championship because of its lack of tradition and a lack of maturity -- it opened in 1986. It's not as well received as the year's other Grand Slam courses: Augusta National, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews.

But Mickelson believes the course that was ripped for record low scores in the 1996 PGA Championship won't be nearly so yielding this time around.

"The rough is higher than I recall in '96, and I think that that is going to keep the scores from going too low because around the greens it's almost impossible to get up and down," he said. "The setup around 17 is fabulous, where it's shaved down.

"It's going to be very difficult to get up and down, but you still have a good opportunity -- if you hit a good shot."

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