So what's the lowdown on the crazy Mickelson gameplan this week? First there was the two-driver strategy at the 2006 Masters, which he won. Then there was the no-driver strategy for the first two rounds of this year's U.S. Open, which some other dude won with a one-leg strategy. In between, Mickelson deployed the five-wedges strategy at Colonial, which he won.

"Phil has 19 clubs," said his short game coach, Dave Pelz, "and he'll decide what to put in and what to take out depending on the weather on Thursday. But he'll probably go with four wedges."

If it's windy, Mickelson said he would carry a 2-iron to keep the ball low. If it's calm, the hybrid comes off the bench. And, yes, there will be a driver in the bag, but just one.

Rotella was a sports psychologist at the University of Virginia, specialising in basketball and lacrosse, when Golf Digest asked him in 1976 to make a presentation. "Sam Snead was on their editorial board and that was the starting point of my unbelievable career in golf. Snead was incredible, even in his 60s, and after hearing me talk he said, 'Man, if I had this guy when I was young I'd have won so many more majors.' If Sam Snead had said I was talking hogwash no one would've listened to me. But because Sam opened up people just followed him."

Blame it on the Slammer.