Conventional wisdom can be a nuisance and, if you listen hard enough, you'll be told that one of the quirks of the Augusta National course is that it doesn't suit left-handers.

The argument goes that right-to-left ball flight is a distinct advantage. With four "lefties" in the field here this week - Phil Mickelson, Mike Weir, Steve Flesch and Greg Chalmers - that theory will be tested to the full. And Phil Mickelson, for one, a player who has four top-10 finishes in eight appearances at the US Masters, doesn't exactly go along with such claims.

"I'd disagree with that assessment. I've felt that left-handers can still hit right-to-left shots," he said. "It is sometimes difficult, but it can be done . . . and, also, it seems as though the shots that are right-to-left around here are not distance holes. I think it is easier to control a fade than it is to try and time a hook.

"The greatest of the golf courses require shots both ways, and I think it is a misnomer to say that every shot needs to be right-to-left," he added.

What is more of a nuisance to Mickelson, in fact, is that a major win has managed to elude him. He's the world number two, had five wins on the US Tour last year and is the man who has twice halted impressive winning streaks by Tiger Woods. But a major title has stayed out of his clutches.

This is the guy who won the Northern Telecom Open on the US Tour as an amateur; one of only three players - the other two were Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods - to hold the US Collegiate and US Amateur titles at the one time, and a player who has won 18 times on the US Tour. He has stumbled only in majors, earning the tag (shared by Colin Montgomerie) of being the best-player-never-to-win-a-major.Yet.

"I certainly thought coming out of college that I would have won not just one, but hopefully more, by this stage of my career," admitted Mickelson. "But to have none is disappointing. I also feel that I have improved as a player each year. I am a much better player now than I have ever been, and if I'm able to put it together, to make smart decisions and hit smart golf shots, then I will make the breakthrough soon."

In his attempt to make that breakthrough this week, Mickelson took the decision to prepare for Augusta with tournament play. This will be his fifth tournament in a row - the first time he has played four-in-a-row before a major - and, if he is to make that long-awaited breakthrough, then he knows that he will have to take his typical aggression out of his game-plan.

"There are going to be times where I want to be aggressive, to hit driver and get the ball down there as far as I can. And there are going to be times where I need to make a smarter decision to ultimately save a shot in the long run," he said.

"One of the things I have been trying to do is be more patient and not try to force things, not try to birdie every hole, because it is so penalising. There will be times this week where I will actually play 30 to 50 feet to one side of the hole so that I have an uphill putt and will be able to salvage par, as opposed to trying to attack the pin and make birdie."

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