Phil Mickelson borrows lessons from Tiger Woods
AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - World number two Phil Mickelson has taken two pages out of top-ranked Tiger Woods's book to prepare for his 2008 major championships campaign starting on Thursday at the U.S. Masters.
Mickelson switched to Woods's former coach Butch Harmon last year and, to take best advantage of swing changes geared to improving his accuracy, has hit the gym and emerged a trimmer challenger to the super-fit Woods.
"I've worked out, worked out a little bit," Mickelson told reporters on Tuesday when asked about his new lean look.
"You know, there's no shortcut," added Mickelson, who has improved his diet and lost about 12 pounds.
"I just set out to try to create a little bit more strength to not have to sacrifice distance with some of the swing changes I've made with Butch.
"Swing is a little shorter, so I have to get a little more explosive in some of my rotational speed, things like that. So this off-season, I spent a lot of time doing that."
While most of the focus during the Masters run-up has been on Woods and his chances of beginning a campaign for a calendar-year grand slam, Mickelson has maintained a low profile despite a win earlier this season at Riviera.
Mickelson, winner of two of the last four Masters, also got a confidence boost from beating Woods in a head-to-head duel at the end of last season to win the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.
"I've had some 20th-place finishes the last few weeks (but) I actually feel really good about my game because my ball-striking has been good to this point," said Mickelson.
Mickelson is keen to bounce back from disappointments in last year's majors when he was 24th at Augusta, his worst showing since 1997, missed cuts at the U.S. and British Opens after hurting his wrist, and tied for 32nd at the U.S. PGA.
"I feel good about the way I'm hitting it and the area I need to spend some time on is chipping and putting and that's an area I've never really been concerned with," he said.
"I am excited heading into this tournament where I feel comfortable on and around the greens."
(Editing by Sonia Oxley)
