The Open 2012: which Phil Mickelson will turn up at Royal Lytham And, let's face it, he does have some fascinating material there. This is a man who had his first PGA Tour title in the bag when he was a 20-year-old amateur, who seemed capable of winning regular events with his eyes shut, yet who seemed incapable of breaking the tape at a major championship. Incredibly, Mickelson clocked up 17 top-10 finishes - eight of them top-threes - in majors before he finally put himself in the winner's circle at the 2004 Masters. Mickelson did pick up another three majors over the next few years, the most recent being his 2010 victory at Augusta. But he also showed a perversely undiminished gift for messing them up as well. The 2006 US Open? A double-bogey six at the last when a par would have given him the title. The 2009 US Open? A putting collapse on the back nine to finish two behind Lucas Glover. The 2011 Open Championship? Misses a dribbly little putt at the 11th after covering the first nine holes in 30 shots. The 2012 Masters? A tee shot into the grandstand on the fifth brings a triple-bogey and dynamites his chances. In which light, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood might want to exercise care when listening to Mickelson on the subject of making a breakthrough in majors. Yet when he spoke on that matter, the American came up with an analysis that sounded suspiciously, perhaps even dangerously, like common sense. "I think that I had to try to calm myself down all the time heading into majors," Mickelson said. I felt that after having won a PGA Tour event as an amateur, my expectations were to have won a major championship well before I was 34, and yet I hadn't. So I found myself constantly having to slow down my thoughts and try to get control of my thoughts and play the golf course effectively. At last week's Scottish Open Mickelson, after a scratchy beginning, threw in rounds of 64 and 65 to put himself in contention. And then finished with a grim 74. "It was a really great week," said Mickelson, although it should be noted that he rarely owns up to having weeks that are anything less than great. I felt like I got a lot of good work done. I feel a little bit better about where I'm headed. Straight down the middle, we must assume.