STROKE OF THE DAY

"A good golf course makes you want to play so badly that you hardly have the time to change your shoes. "

Phil Mickelson had just completed his final round of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines when a huge roar erupted from the vicinity of the clubhouse, where the Rancho Santa Fe resident stood chatting with reporters.

Unfortunately for Mickelson, the applause was for third-round leader Tiger Woods, who was making his way to the first tee for his 1:30 p.m. date with destiny.

No doubt Mickelson would have loved to be in Woods’ spikes at that moment, having made no secret this week of his desire to contend in the Open on Sunday afternoon in his hometown.

“This has been a great Open championship,” said Mickelson, who closed with a final-round 68 to finish at 6-over par for the tournament. “Obviously, I would have liked to have played better. But the way the course has been presented, the way it was set up, it was the fairest and best test of golf. It gave the best players a chance to separate themselves.”

Mickelson, who has not contended in a major championship since his meltdown on the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 2006, began his week with an even-par 71 to find himself right in the mix. He followed that with rounds of 75-76 to lose any hopes of contending on Sunday at Torrey.

But the dark cloud that followed Mickelson throughout the week did not dampen his feelings toward the experience of competing in his hometown for the national championship.

“I’m disappointed I didn’t play well, but I’m not disappointed in the way this championship is shaping into form and the way San Diego has been presented,” said Mickelson, who finished tied for 18th place. “This has been awesome.”

Mickelson had nothing but praise for the course and the way the USGA set it up, saying the mixture of tee boxes and movement of pin placements was strategically the best it’s ever been in an Open.

“The [setup] really rewarded great shot making as well as the ability to recover,” Mickelson said. “I’ve got to think that the USGA loves the way this tournament has played out and I think that Torrey Pines, in my opinion, has played the best that any Open setup has played.”

So, with this year’s Open heading toward a Monday playoff that doesn’t include Mickelson, the question is: What will Phil do next?

“I’m going to take three weeks off and get ready for a stretch of the run through the rest of the year,” he said. “I’ll leave for the Scottish Open in preparation for the British Open [in July]. We still have two majors left, we have the FedEx Cup and Ryder Cup. We have a lot of big events and I want to get my game sharp for that.”