Phil Mickelson's first round in the United States is like the others he will make this season. All will be aimed at achieving the one big this he has yet to get: victory in the U.S. Open.
Mickelson is playing this week at Torrey Pines, the course in San Diego that is the site for the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open.
Yet his long-term plan is to win this summer at Pinehurst, the posh North Carolina pasture where the Open will be played the week of June 9.
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In fact, Mickelson believes he will win several times before his career is over.
His first title, he said this week, is "just a matter of time."
"It may be this year at Pinehurst, it may not, but I do believe that will come," he told media members ahead of this week's event. "I actually believe I'll win a couple."
Lefty turns 44 during Open week. What a birthday present a championship would be.