Mickelson warms up for Open with Barclays

The last time he played the week before a major he won the Masters.
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson figures he'd be lost if he tried to play a major after a 2 1/2-month layoff.
Heck, a one-week break is too much for the Masters champion.
How about Tiger Woods? Well, that's different.
While Mickelson is playing in the Barclays Classic this week in preparation for the U.S. Open, Woods will return to competition next week at nearby Winged Foot after an extended break following the Masters and his father Earl's death.
"For anybody else on tour, I think it would be a real challenge, but for him I don't think the same rules apply," Mickelson said Wednesday. "I don't think it's going to be a real challenge for him, unfortunately."
Seeks third straight major
Coming off a fourth-place tie Sunday in the Memorial, Mickelson is tuning up at Westchester Country Club in his bid for a third straight major victory.
"I think competing for a championship, feeling the importance of each shot and trying to play at a high level ... is a great way to prepare for trying to do the same thing the next week," Mickelson said.
Mickelson worked the pre-major strategy to perfection in April, following a 13-stroke victory in the BellSouth Classic with his second Masters win in three years.
He also won the final major last year, the PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
"Winning in Atlanta gave me a lot of confidence heading into Augusta," Mickelson said. "It was nice to have been able to win by a large number where I wasn't feeling the stress and the pressure on the weekend."
Rain expected this week
After a practice session Tuesday at nearby Winged Foot, Mickelson played a rainy pro-am round Wednesday morning at Westchester. Rain also is expected today, Friday and possibly Saturday on the already-soggy course.
"The negative is that we're not able to get out and practice and work on it, but the positive is that you get some rest," Mickelson said.
Mickelson is making his fifth career start at Westchester. He tied for 16th last year, five strokes behind winner Padraig Harrington.
"The golf course here at Westchester is just a terrific course," Mickelson said. "It's a U.S. Open venue that we get to play every year."
Less demanding
However, the PGA Tour's setup on the hilly, tree-lined Westchester course is far less demanding off the tee than the long and narrow Winged Foot layout.
"Even though the rough is up, it's nothing like what I saw at Winged Foot," Mickelson said. "I haven't seen rough that thick and dense, I don't think ever.
"I'm going to make a prediction that somebody hits the wrong ball in the rough. ... The reason is there have been a lot of members that have been playing and when they hit balls in the rough you can't find it. ... There are, I think, not just hundreds, but thousands of golf balls in the rough that you just can't see."