SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. - The question was asked in jest, and Phil Mickelson didn't mind a bit.
"Are you the best player to win only one major?"
For Mickelson, who enters this week's U.S. Open having won his first major two months ago at the Masters, it is so much better than the alternative.
"That is such a nice question to answer, so much nicer than the ones in the past," Mickelson said. "I don't know if I have an answer for you, but it just sounds a lot better."
Mickelson won his first major in his 43rd attempt. Something that helped was a pretournament scouting mission with instructors Rick Smith and Dave Pelz. Mickelson came up with a strategy to play Augusta National and saw it pay off.
Before the U.S. Open, Mickelson made a similar trip. He visited Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for three days starting on June 4.
"I don't feel like there's any tricks to it, that you need to play here for years to know the course," Mickelson said. Mickelson was 25 when he played the 1995 U.S. Open here. He tied for fourth, four strokes behind Corey Pavin. Amazingly, Mickelson played the par-5 16th hole in 6 over that week, making two double bogeys and two bogeys.
The hole has changed somewhat in that the grass to the right of the green has been cut.
"I don't know if it was the USGA being nice to me or if it was the USGA laughing at me, but they shaved the entire area right of 16 where I had been hacking it out of the rough in '95," Mickelson said. "So it's fine now."
FURYK'S OUTLOOK: A year ago, he came to the U.S. Open expecting to be among the contenders and left with his first major championship. Now Jim Furyk is just hoping to make it through the tournament.
Furyk is a surprise participant after March surgery on his left wrist. Furyk seemed doubtful for the U.S. Open and didn't play his first full round until last week.
"I'm happy trying to give it a chance, giving it a shot as a positive move," he said. "My game is rusty, it's not in shape. I'm going to have to hang in there and do the best I can."
AROUND SHINNECOCK: Raymond Floyd, 61, is the oldest player in the field. The winner of the 1986 Open here, Floyd was given a special exemption by the U.S. Golf Association. Casey Wittenburg, 19, the 2003 U.S. Amateur runner-up, is the youngest. Wittenburg had yet to celebrate his second birthday when Floyd won at age 43. ... There are nine players in the field who played in the '86 and '95 Opens here: Floyd, Mark Calcavecchia, Bob Tway, Scott Verplank, Tom Kite, Jay Haas, Pavin, Jeff Maggert and Fred Funk.
