Mickelson’s best finish was joint 16th as he conceded his US PGA Championship title at Medinah and he took last week off to attend his sister’s wedding.

Usually the 36-year-old likes to play the week before a major and the Ryder Cup certainly falls into that category as the Americans look to arrest a slide which has seen Europe win four of the last five.

It has led to questions about his preparations, which is a repeat of two years ago at Oakland Hills when he changed his make of clubs just before the event.

He did spend two hours on the putting green on Tuesday going through his tried-and-tested routine of holing 100 putts from a three-foot circle around the cup but otherwise his practice has been disrupted by the need to interact in a team environment.

“The only thing that matters is the performance this week,” he said.

“The past weeks do not factor in, as long as I’m playing well and getting ready.

“I’ve had a couple of good practice sessions the last few weeks and I’m looking forward to the week – but I won’t really know until Friday comes.

“I’m fresh and excited to play because, after playing for a long time, mentally I get stale and am not as sharp.

“That’s why I took some time off and started practising for the Ryder Cup.”

Mickelson stressed there was a desire among the team to reward captain Tom Lehman for the way he has managed them so far.

“We haven’t played our best and come close for some captains and we are hoping to put forward our best performance for Tom because he deserves it,” added the Masters champion.

“We are trying to play well, not just for Tom but for ourselves and our fellow team members and the people we respect back in the United States.”