Open champ Mickelson’s sights set on greatness

PHIL MICKELSON wouldn’t let go of the Claret Jug at all on Sunday night — next year’s returning ceremony at Hoylake could be difficult — but it’s the US Open trophy that is his sole remaining target.

The new Open Champion had a protective grip on the ancient trophy the whole time he spoke to media in the wake of his astonishing triumph at Muirfield when the Californian — so long typecast as hapless on the alien terrain of links golf — birdied four of the last six holes to snatch victory away from the field.

NOW MICKELSON’S target is the select band of those who have won all four major championships, with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods the only members of this exclusive club.

Mickelson has three legs now but the one that has eluded him – frustratingly with six second places – is his own national Open, and his Muirfield victory is welcome relief from the disappointment at Merion last month.

His first chance will be at Pinehurst next June — coincidentally the scene of his first runners-up spot when trailing the late Payne Stewart by a shot in 1999.

“I think that if I’m able to win the US Open and complete the career grand slam, I think that that’s the sign of the complete great player,” said Mickelson.

“I’m a leg away, and it’s been a tough leg for me. Those five players are the greats of the game. You look at them in a different light. If I were able to ever win a US Open, and I’m very hopeful that I will....”

Five weeks ago Mickelson took a one-shot lead into the final round at Merion, on his 43rd birthday, only to stumble to a closing 74 and finish two shots behind Rose.

He spoke then of the heartbreak he would always associate with the US Open unless he could win one eventually, but bounced back to win the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart the week before his triumph at Muirfield.

“It’s a huge difference in emotions, as you can imagine,” he added.

“Being so down after the US Open, to come back and use it as motivation, to use it as a springboard, knowing that I’m playing well and to push me a little bit extra to work harder; to come out on top, in a matter of a month to turn it around it really feels amazing.

“I thought that it could go either way. You have to be resilient in this game because losing is such a big part of it.

“After losing the US Open, it could have easily gone south, where I was so deflated I had a hard time coming back. But I looked at it and thought I was playing really good golf. I had been playing some of the best in my career.”

It’s also conf irmed Mickelson’s belief that his preparation in coming to Scotland a week early was the right move.

“Castle Stuart was a big win for me but in seven days it’s gone down (in the pecking order) considerably,” he joked.

“It was a special week, though, and it was exactly what I need to propel me into this championship.

“It gave me confidence that I could play my best golf on links in difficult conditions. Castle Stuart was a great place for me to get ready. Will I be at Royal Aberdeen next year? Absolutely.”

Getty. Gary Player.