He has a chance to become the fifth player to win a major in four straight years – but you would hardly know it from the build-up to the season’s final major.

Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Tiger Woods are the players Mickelson would join with a victory here.

But instead of being asked about a chance to join a list of legends, Mickelson is talking about his health and about starting over.

After winning the PGA at Baltusrol in 2005, Mickelson added his third major title at last year’s Masters.

He then pulled into Winged Foot for the US Open as a legitimate threat to Woods’ dominance on tour but he left a broken man, having given away the championship he has dreamed of winning since he was a kid.

Mickelson seemed to have his game back after a win at the Players Championship in May – but a wrist injury sustained while practising for his return to the US Open cost him any momentum he may have built up.

He withdrew from the Memorial and then missed three straight cuts, including the U.S. and British Opens. But Mickelson insists the injury is now behind him.

The left-hander explained: “I’m really excited about playing right now, because last week was the first week that I didn’t have to numb up the back of my hand to be able to hit balls.

“I was able to practice, and able to practice for a few hours a day and actually work on my game.”

Noted for his preparation and practice habits, especially where majors are concerned, Mickelson is hoping a return to Southern Hills and to his normal routine will mean a return to results more in line with a player who is ranked third in the world.

He has certainly had success here in the past, finishing third when the PGA Championship was held here in 1994 and seventh at the 2001 US Open.

Mickelson said: “I’ve been able to put more time into my game in the last week or two than I have in the last three months.

“So I’m really excited about getting back out and playing and especially excited about trying to play well here at Southern Hills.

“I haven’t played well in the last couple of months, but I also haven’t been able to practice.

“So I’m hoping that given a different regime and being able to work on my game, I’m hoping to have a much better performance.”

Looking at his last two performances in the majors, it will be hard for Mickelson not to improve, especially if his wrist is healthy.

At least he won’t have a problem getting it loose with temperatures around 100 degrees expected all week.

But rather that be concerned by the heat, Mickelson sees an up-side.

He explained: “What’s interesting is I love playing in the heat for a couple of reasons.

“It loosens your muscles up. You’re able to swing a lot more rhythmically and the ball flies a lot straighter when it’s hot because you don’t have the resistance.

“So the wind doesn’t affect it as much and the game plays a lot easier when it is hot – there’s a lot more benefits than there are detractions.”