Golf: Mickelson Takes Two Drivers

If Phil Mickelson never adds another Masters title to his 2004 triumph he can at least console himself with the fact that he will pioneer a new method of playing the Augusta National course when he steps on to the 1st tee tomorrow morning with two drivers in his bag.

"It's a big promotion Callaway [his club sponsor] and I are doing. The only thing better than an FT-3 is two FT-3s," he said yesterday. At least the world's No4 player had the decency to laugh while delivering such a blatant plug but he is taking his new approach seriously.

What's more, so is the competition; not least because Mickelson hammered the field in last weekend's PGA Bell South tournament in Atlanta playing with two drivers - one to help him fade the ball, the other to help him hook it. "He's certainly caught everyone on the hop," conceded Colin Montgomerie. "I think you'll find a lot of people using two drivers in the future, and not just on this course. Why try to swing to accommodate a hole, why not change the club?"

For his part Mickelson sounded more like a scientist than a golfer when asked to explain how he came up with idea. Condensed, it comes down to this: he intends to use the driver that fades the ball on holes that do not put a premium on length, and the other club will be used when extra distance is required.

Whatever the theory, the reality is that the American will be one of the favourites come tomorrow morning. He certainly gave every indication yesterday of fancying his chances. "The way I look at it, last week I was trying to get my game sharp for this week, and I think it's fairly sharp now," he said.

But if Mickelson struck a confident note, another of the pre-tournament favourites, Ernie Els, was more circumspect about his own chances. The South African, who will play alongside Mickelson for the first two days of the tournament, is still recovering from surgery to a knee injury.

"I'm not playing exactly the way I want to play yet but I'm playing good enough. I've just got to be patient and see where this week takes me. I've been quite patient with myself but I'm pretty close to maybe doing something special," he said, before adding a rather forlorn-sounding qualification: "Hopefully."

Els is aware of the history and heritage that surrounds this event. A victory does not grant automatic entry in the pantheon of golfing greats, but it certainly impresses the gatekeepers. He has already won three major titles, two US Opens and an Open. If he could add a Masters title his reputation would be complete. "If you want to be regarded as one of the best players, you have got to do it at the majors. That's when the golf courses are stretched to their limits and where the players are stretched to their limits," he said.