Mickelson still seeking elusive first Major

Phil Mickelson knows the drill by now.

It's the week of yet another major and the questions are as predictable as the shin-high rough and baked greens of a U.S. Open.

The answers tend to be, too, as Mickelson tries to rationalize for the umpteenth time why the No. 2 player in the world can't seem to win one of golf's four major championships.

For the 40th time in his career, Mickelson will tee off Thursday in search of a major title that seems to be the only thing missing in a career that has made him rich and famous.

The only difference this week is that, even if he doesn't win, he'll have something to celebrate on Sunday -- his 32nd birthday and a Father's Day with a special U.S. Open significance.

If he can somehow add an Open title to that, it would be quite a day, indeed.

``It would be very special to break through and win on this Sunday that I've been trying to win on for many years,'' Mickelson said.

It was at the Open three years ago where Mickelson lost to Payne Stewart on a 15-foot putt on the final green at Pinehurst. He carried a beeper in his golf bag that day, ready to leave the course and fly home if his wife, Amy, went into labor.

After Stewart sank his winning putt, he took Mickelson's face in his hands and tried to ease his bitter disappointment.

``Good luck with the baby. There's nothing like being a father,'' Stewart said.

A day later, Amy Mickelson gave birth to the couple's first daughter, taking some of the sting away from his defeat.

``It's a very emotional time of the year and emotional tournament and something that seems to have a lot of memories all tied into one event,'' Mickelson said.

Mickelson will have to keep those emotions under control on the Bethpage Black course that would seem to have enough defenses by itself to keep him from winning here.

The fairways are not only narrow but lined by two cuts of rough that will force players to waste a shot just pitching out. The greens are so fast they are likely to reach 13 on the Stimpmeter.

Both are conditions not exactly ideal for a player who has a tendency to spray drives at the wrong time and take multiple putts from short distances.

That won't stop Mickelson from attacking the course, even though he figures to do it from the fairway and not the tee, where he will be hitting 3-wood more than driver

``Playing aggressive here means taking an aggressive swing, taking a rip at it,'' Mickelson said. ``If I hit driver, I might make a tentative swing, kind of a conservative swing because I feel like I have too much club and I might hit it too far.''

If not a new approach for Mickelson, it's certainly a different line than he took earlier this year at The Players Championship, when he blew a lead with a five-putt but vowed to keep playing aggressively even if he never wins a major.

A few weeks later at the Masters, he had adopted a more philosophical approach to major championships, saying that he now considers himself to be lucky just to be able to participate in them.

That theme continued Tuesday after a practice session at Bethpage, where Mickelson was doing his best to play down any expectations.

``What I have found is that every chance that I have to play in a major championship is a wonderful opportunity to compete for the greatest thrill and the greatest trophy in the game of golf, and I just love that opportunity,'' he said.

Hardly scintillating stuff, but Mickelson has become increasingly aware that his career is being defined by his lack of a major, not his 20 tour victories.

He's also increasingly unhappy that too much is made of his failures and not enough of the fact he has been in contention and nearly won several majors, including two that were taken from him with putts on the 72nd hole.

That included the PGA Championship last year, where David Toms made a putt to beat Mickelson by a shot.

``I've had some wonderful chances coming down the stretch at the PGA last year, some U.S. Opens, some Masters,'' he said. ``I feel like I've played some of my better golf in those tournaments. I just haven't had the break or two that I need to come through and win.''

That break could come this week, if all the stars are aligned as Mickelson thinks they might be. Or he could disintegrate on the back nine on Sunday with some wild shots off the tee or a few missed 3-footers.

Either way, he won't stop trying.

``It is a tournament I very much want to win,'' he said.