US professional golfer
Phil Mickelson is aiming to use his knowledge of the green at the Sentosa
Golf Club to his advantage in a bid to beat off his main competitors at the upcoming Barclays Singapore Open.
The event, which is set to kick off this weekend, will see the three-time Masters champion put his experience to good use in an attempt to claim victory after dropping out of the top ten in the official world golf rankings.
He said: "The Serapong course is really in incredible shape. This is my fifth year coming here and it has improved every year."
The 41-year-old went on to express his excitement for the Singapore Open and next week's Presidents Cup, which will be his last tournaments of the current season, while revealing he has been putting in some extra practice for the competitions.
Mickelson, who missed out on this year's Open title to Northern Ireland's
Darren Clarke by just three shots, said he believes the winner of the coming tournament is likely to be a familiar face.
"This is a golf course that every year seems to have the best players on the leaderboard," he explained. "I think that is testament to the course here that every year the best players seem to rise to the top and contend at the weekend."
A field of 204 players will compete over the Serapong and Tanjong courses as part of the Barclays Singapore Open, which is sanctioned by the Asian and European Tour. Mickelson, who is known across the globe as Lefty, will be hoping to get his hands on the $1 million (£677,000) prize fund.
"I have to accept that there are a number of holes where you have to accept par and maybe I have been forcing the birdies in the past. The more I come here the more I accept that," he explained.
Joining Mickelson at the highly-anticipated tournament will be Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell who will be entering the competition with a positive attitude after his return to form with a third-place finish in Shanghai last week.
The winner of the 2010
US Open's recovery comes at a much-needed time following a difficult weekend at the Andalucia Masters last month, during which closing rounds of 82 and 81 saw him slip to the bottom of the leaderboard.
However, the 32-year-old broke 70 in all four rounds at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions to finish with a total of 16 under par
