Phil Mickelson's Experience at Augusta Makes Him a Top Contender at the Masters

Although Phil Mickelson is no longer a consistent threat to win tournaments on a weekly basis, he will be a top contender at the 2013 Masters.

Lefty has had an up-and-down season over the first couple of months. While he won the Waste Management Phoenix Open and got third in the WGC Cadillac Championship, he finished outside the top 50 in three different events.

At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he did not even make the cut after posting a score of eight-over par in the first two rounds. These performances have seen him drop to the No. 9 player in the world in the latest rankings.

However, he is still the third-most likely to win at Augusta at 10-1 odds, according to Vegas Insider.

The reason for this is that he has continued to shine at the Masters every year regardless of how well he performs in the weeks prior.

For many years, Mickelson was the best golfer in the world who had never won a major. That came to an end in 2004 when he finally won at Augusta. Since that year, no one else has won prestigious tournament more than once, but Mickelson has won three times.

Still, it is more than just the wins that show how well he plays. There are tons of inconsistent golfers who can string a few good days together to win a tournament. Instead, Mickelson impresses with his ability to shine year after year.

In the last 14 years, Lefty has finished in the Top 10 in 12 different tournaments. The worst he has ever finished in this stretch is tied for 27th.

Overall, Mickelson has 14 top-10 finishes in his career at Augusta, landing in the top five 10 times, and finishing third or better on eight occasions, including last season.

Playing on the same course every year has given the veteran a certain comfort level. No matter how he is performing at the time, he has the confidence to go out and do well once he gets to this point.

The last time he won this event in 2010, he was coming off consecutive tournaments of finishing 30th or worse. Still, he regained his form when it mattered.

This year should be no different. Mickelson knows the course, has the confidence to win and will have the crowd at his back.

If the former champ is not able to finish at least in the top five, it would be a huge surprise.

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