Eight Reasons Why Phil Mickelson Has a Great Chance to Win the Players

Kathy Bissell

Special from The Players Championship -- Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Phil Mickelson practically bounced into the interview room Tuesday at The Players. He looked trim and fit, was smiling and enthusiastic about the upcoming week event.

Mickelson, who is the 2007 Players Champion, has a better chance than those who have never won this particular tournament, which researchers have said is the hardest to win in recent years. Here's why:

1. Good attitude about the course.

While Bubba Watson says that the course visually intimidates him to the point where he has a hard time playing it, Phil Mickelson feels right at home.

"I feel as though having won here, there's a certain amount of pressure that I feel is taken off because I have won here, and I'm able to–I don't want to say free wheel—but play a little freer,:" he said.

2. Good attitude about his game.

"I see some things in my game that are starting to get better and better," he explained. "I really know what I'm trying to do on the greens now. I'm rolling the ball better than I ever have in years. My short game is sharp. My driving has been much better."

3. He has one under his belt.

"When you want to win something so bad, sometimes it can really inhibit your performance, and that can be the case in a tournament as prestigious as this one," Mickelson added. "So having won it, I think, helps in that regard."

4. He isn't intimidated off the tee.

"I feel like the fairways are very generous here," Mickelson said. Other people feel they are claustrophobic.

5. He knows where the real trouble is.

"If you miss the fairway, it's very penalizing" he explained. " The rough , the severe moundings give you some ridiculous lies, the bunkering is very difficult to advance to the green. You usually have to wedge out. Water on a lot of holes. So the penalty for missing is very severe."

6. He still disagrees with those who don't regard the tournament as though it equals a fifth major.

"I feel like since I've been out on Tour, that this is one of the tournament that I would like to win the most, right along with the majors. Everybody has got their own personal deal, but I just – I disagree with their thought process," he said.

7. His strategy changes after Augusta.

"My mindset changes after Augusta. After Augusta, it's not about distance. It's how to get the ball in the fairway,' he said.

8. He won't let the set up –even if it is borderline – get to him.

"That certainly seems to be the norm with our governing bodies as they set up the courses. Saturday and Sunday come along, it's real borderline. I don't know if it's good or bad. I don't know if that really defines the better player. I don't see how it does. But that's certainly a concern, and the fact that there's no rain here lends itself to getting out of hand," he said. "I don't know what it will be. But whatever it is, as a player, you've got to be ready for it and try to just shoot the lowest score