Like every previous Open champion, Phil Mickelson didn’t find it easy to hand back the Claret Jug.
But the American is getting positive vibes about his chances of reclaiming the famous old trophy in a few days’ time.
Not only does Mickelson sense his game is coming back after a winless 2014, he believes Hoylake has a Muirfield-esque feel about it and, for him, that can only be a good thing.
“The reason I really like Royal Liverpool is the same reason I really like Muirfield,” he said. “And that is, when you have to land a ball 20, 30 yards short of the green, the ball will kick on.
“There aren’t those repellent hillsides at the landing area that can kick balls off into trouble. If you hit it off line, it will continue to go off line. It’s not going to hit a mound and kick back on to the green.
“Well-struck shots are rewarded and poorly struck shots are penalised. And that’s not always the case in links golf. It could be the exact opposite.
“In fact, that happened quite a few times last week at Royal Aberdeen.”
There was no hiding the form Mickelson was in this time last year. A Scottish Open champion from the week before is never going to come into an Open under the radar, as Justin Rose will find out.
The 44-year-old doesn’t have his name at the top of the betting as a pre-tournament favourite 12 months on (there’s only been one top 10 finish in the calendar year), but that hasn’t diminished his optimism this week.
He pointed out: “It hasn’t been a good year. Normally I would be discouraged or frustrated, but I’m just not. I feel like I’ve had some good breakthroughs. I haven’t had the results, but the parts feel a lot better than the whole right now.
“I don’t know if it will click this week, in three weeks or what, but it should be soon. I feel like it’s really close to being good. And rather than trying to force it or press the issue, I’m going to be patient
“I’m driving the ball with more confidence, and better, than I ever have. I don’t know if the stats show it or not, but I know I am. And I feel from here on I should have more good putting weeks as well.”
Aberdeen might not have suited Mickelson as well as he believes Liverpool will, but last week’s Scottish Open definitely served a purpose.
He noted: “The other area of my game where I’ve struggled has been my short irons, which has always been my strength.
“I haven’t been as sharp, but last week they started to come back. I saw glimpses of my normal short iron play.
“I’ll have the memories and emotions from last year to last for a lifetime, and I’d like to do it again. I’d like to create new memories and new opportunities. It motivates me to work harder and practise even harder because I know there’s a finite amount of time I have.”
The Claret Jug has seen everything from ladybirds (thanks to Padraig Harrington’s son) to barbecue sauce (Stewart Cink) put inside it. But as one of golf’s traditionalists, Mickelson has been less extravagant while it has been in his care. Probably.
“One of the things I stressed is that we have to treat the Claret Jug with reverence and the respect that it deserves, and only put the good stuff in it,” he insisted.
“No bad stuff was allowed. Each person that I brought it to had a different definition of what the good stuff was, though!”
If pressure and expectation isn’t being heaped on Mickelson this week, the same is true of Tiger Woods.
Having only played two competitive rounds since returning from a long injury lay-off, Woods will be the most undercooked golfer in the field.
“We’re just glad he’s back,” Mickelson said. “We all benefit from having him in the tournament. He’s back a lot earlier than I think a lot of us thought he would be. That’s only beneficial, and hopefully he will play well.
“He’s also the defending champion in a way, given he was the last person to win here at Royal Liverpool.”
Mickelson’s back-to-back wins last year have buried the theory that a Scottish Open winner should be expected to run out of steam the week after.
As such, he believes Rose is in an excellent position to follow his lead.
“Prior to last year, everybody would rule him out because he won the week before,” Mickelson stated. “But now that it’s been done, I think it’s an advantage.
“I definitely think it’s an advantage to play the Scottish Open on a links course, get acclimatised to seeing the ball bounce, the thicker grasses on the greens, and the long lag putts we have in cross winds. Putting in cross winds is brutally tough.
“All those things happened last week. And all those things give the players who played a distinct advantage this week, I believe. The fact that he (Rose) is playing well means he’s going to be in contention. I’ve got to believe that.”