Phil's trying every angle

A public footpath runs through the Hoylake links 許すing 接近 to the beach, and any hardy soul using it on a 哀れな Tuesday morning last month would have done a 二塁打-take.

Peering through the Stygian gloom, they would have been surprised to see any golfer out at 6.15am on such a wretched day. Surprise, however, would have turned to open-mouthed astonishment on learning that the golfer in question was Phil Mickelson.

Spending 45 minutes on every green, learning every 考えられる slope and angle, this was the start of the most 激しい 準備 any American has shown for an Open 選手権 since Ben Hogan pitched up a fortnight 早期に at Carnoustie in 1953.

Mickelson was on the ground no more than 36 hours before 飛行機で行くing home again with half a dozen notebooks crammed with （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状）. Last Wednesday he returned and has spent the last three days topping up all that he learned.

The 地元のs have been in awe at the 量 of time he has spent around every green. Whisper it softly around the more stuffy members, but during one 一連の会議、交渉／完成する Mickelson had four 瓶／封じ込めるs positioned on each green, 心配するing where the pins will be each day during the four 一連の会議、交渉／完成するs of 競争.

One of the joys of this Open will be watching the different 発射s players 試みる／企てる after 行方不明の the greens, for many have run-off areas affording a number of 選択s.

Mickelson has spent many hours practising each one: from the lofted 回復 he knows so 井戸／弁護士席, to the 半導体素子 and run 決定的な to Open success, to putting from 井戸／弁護士席 off the green.

On Saturday, he spent all afternoon on the putting green in 前線 of the clubhouse. Twelve tees were stuck in the ground in a circle, all 4ft from the 穴を開ける, and by every one was a ball. As Mickelson 穴を開けるd them, his caddie placed them 支援する by the tee, and so the 決まりきった仕事 continued, for hour after 支援する-breaking hour.

Nick Faldo knows all about giving each major every last ounce of 成果／努力 and （機の）カム up with perh aps a telling comment as to why Mickelson, at 36, is going to these inordinate lengths.

He said: "I think a couple of years ago he reached that 行う／開催する／段階 in life where he was 明確に not getting the results in the majors that a man of his talent should. I think he just said to himself: 'If I don't give this everything I've got while I'm in my prime, I'm going to 悔いる it for the 残り／休憩（する） of my life'.

"I think he's doing what needs to be done. You should come over 早期に like Hogan did and get attuned to links ゴルフ.

Ernie Els, however, is not so sure. "I think you can overdo it," he said. "I think three practice 一連の会議、交渉／完成するs are enough."

Mickelson has just one 最高の，を越す 10 finish to his 指名する in 13 Open 外見s but this, in every sense, is a different ball game. In the 早期に years his ball flight was all wrong to 対処する with links ゴルフ and he showed no appetite to learn.

In 2004 and again last year he （機の）カム over to play in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond. That at least got him acclimatised, but 準備するing on a lush inland course is like playing the French Open a week before Wimbledon. "I gave it a 行方不明になる this year because I was not getting the results at the Open that I was looking for," he explained.

Mickelson's 賞賛 for Hoylake is growing. When he first （機の）カム over in June, he kept himself to himself. One member said: "It was as much as we could do to get him to 調印する the 訪問者s' 調書をとる／予約する."

This time a more affable Mickelson is on show, chatting to the 地元のs who have followed him these past four days. Asked whether he liked the course yesterday, he replied: "I do. I like it very much."

A more expansive 見解（をとる） will be 来たるべき at tomorrow's formal 圧力（をかける） 会議／協議会 but for now it is all about practice, and no one can argue about the results his diligence 配達するs.

Over the past two years, when he has 的d the majors almost to the 除外 of every other event, Mickelson has won three out of the eight played and had three other 最高の，を越す three finishes.

Bu t for an aberration on the 18th 穴を開ける at the U.S. Open last month he would have arrived here 捜し出すing to emulate Tiger 支持を得ようと努めるd' 業績／成就 in 2000-01 of 持つ／拘留するing all four at the same time.

Instead, he emulated Colin Montgomerie, taking a 二塁打-bogey six when he needed a par to 勝利，勝つ. That led to much fevered comment in America about Mickelson 逆戻りするing to his soft-flaky past when in 論争, but people should 削減（する） him some slack.

Nobody finished 走者-up more often in majors than the man who also won more than anyone else, Jack Nicklaus. He commented: "If you're in 論争 often enough, you're going to screw up. People should not be so hard on him."

Mickelson is aware that no 勝利，勝つs outside America makes for an incomplete c.v. and while travelling to play has never been a 優先, he is keen to 始める，決める the 記録，記録的な／記録する straight. "I'm an American, so I play mostly in America and I'd like to think that is why I 港／避難所't won どこかよそで," he said. "But I hope that will change and I'd certainly like to 勝利，勝つ a British Open. Who wouldn't?"

Having the dedication to 追求する it this vigorously, however, belongs to a chosen few. Now he will hope to 完全にする the Hogan comparison ― and return home with the トロフィー, just like the 広大な／多数の／重要な man did more than half a century ago.