Phil Ready to Go

A couple of weeks ago it didn't look like Phil Mickelson would be able to play in his 22nd Masters. The 43-year-old was forced to withdraw midway through the third round of the Valero Texas Open due to a pulled oblique muscle in his right side.

But Mickelson healed quickly and returned to action last week for the Shell Houston Open, where he shot 7-under 281 and tied for 12th following rounds of 68, 70, 72 and 71.

Now the San Diego native is back on familiar ground, Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, where he's won three green jackets and believes he's in good enough shape to vie for a fourth.

"Last week I felt great," Mickelson told reporters on Tuesday. "I was surprised because I had a pulled muscle in Texas and I felt great all four rounds. I had been doing physic ball work and stuff to strengthen my back every morning, every night, for weeks and weeks to make sure that I enter this week feeling good, healthy and I'm able to swing as hard as I want and hit the shots that I need to try and hit."

Mickelson admitted to a bit of trepidation heading into this year's Masters - a tournament he won in 2004, '06 and '10 - preferring to have experienced some success before a major championship.

"I'm nervous about this week because I always like coming into this week with a win (earlier in the season)," said Mickelson, whose latest of his five majors came last year at the British Open.

"I like coming into this week being in contention a few times and having that confidence and experience to build on. But I have to give myself a little bit of slack, because I have not been 100 percent.

"Physically, I feel great. The parts of my game, if I break them down, they feel terrific. But I haven't put them together this year. I haven't had the results to fall back on. I haven't experienced that pressure to feel comfortable in that environment, and so I'm certainly nervous, because this is a week that I care about the most."

During his Tuesday practice round, lost a $1 bet to a patron (they don't call gallery members "fans" at Augusta National), who shouted out the wager that Mickelson couldn't get up and down from off the green at the par-3 sixth hole. Mickelson chipped up, but missed a 7-foot putt during his preliminary outing with Jason Dufner, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler.

"He was mouthing off - 'hard shot, get this up-and-down, no chance' - blah, blah, blah," Mickelson said during his press conference. "And it wasn't that hard a shot and I should have gotten it up and down. And I did hit a good shot. I had a 7-footer straight uphill and I had to pay him."

Mickelson doesn't carry small bills when he's playing, and borrowed money to settle the bet. "I had to get a five from a caddie," he said.

That said, he knows Augusta National fits his gambling and sometimes mistake-prone style of play. "This course has always been a course that I felt comfortable on and I've played some of my best golf here," he said.

"I just love everything about this tournament. That win 10 years ago, it just propelled me. And I knew once I won one, I really felt confident I would win a few (more).

"It's a magical place to begin with but, for me personally, the feeling that comes over me as I drive down Magnolia Lane is I don't have to play perfect to play well here, because I can recover from mistakes here. You always have a shot. You have a chance to salvage your par. You have a chance to let your short game save it for you. And if I do hit a number of good shots, I'm able to make birdies."

Surprisingly, Mickelson will miss his long-time rival, Tiger Woods, who underwent back surgery March 21 and is out of action for perhaps four months. The four-time Masters winner will sit out the event for the first time in 20 years.

"It's a weird feeling not having (Woods) here, isn't it?" Mickelson asked reporters. "He's been such a mainstay in professional golf and the majors. It's awkward to not have him here. I hope he gets back soon. I mean, I hope he's back for the other majors, and as much as I want to win and I know how great he is and tough to beat . . . it also makes it special when he's in the field and you're able to win."

The classy Mickelson also recognized that the phenomenal success of Woods - 79 PGA Tour victories and 14 major titles - changed the fortunes of modern-day touring pros. "Look at what he's doing for the game the last 17 years he's played as a professional. It's been incredible," Mickelson said. "I've told him, and I've said this before, nobody has benefited more from having Tiger in the game than myself.

"I remember when I was an amateur and I won my first tournament in Tucson in 1991, the entire purse was $1 million, first place was $180,000 and Steve [Loy, my agent] and I would sit down and say, 'I wonder if in my lifetime, probably not in my career, we would have play for a $1 million first-place check.' [Now] it's every week. It's unbelievable the growth of this game," noted Mickelson.

"And Tiger has been the instigator. He's been the one that's really propelled and driven the bus because he's brought increased ratings, increased sponsors, increased interest and we have all benefited, but nobody has benefited more than I have, and we're all appreciative. That's why we miss him so much; we all know what he's meant to the game."

Mickelson is paired in the first two rounds with fellow major winners, Ernie Els of South Africa and England's Justin Rose. The trio will start play Thursday at 1:48 p.m.

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