Is he still haunted by that tee-shot on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot? Certainly, whenever Phil Mickelson recalled the drive which ultimately deprived him of the US Open last year, it only served to remind him of what the world and its mother, it seemed, already knew. That the driver was the weakest club in his bag, prone to a mind of its own.

So, in enlisting the help of Butch Harmon, Mickelson has made a brave decision. Can Harmon become Lefty's own ghost buster?

"I don't know how our relationship is going to evolve," conceded Mickelson, adding: "I think in any relationship, you start slow and you build from there. And, right now, I've entrusted Butch's abilities or his knowledge to help me become a better driver of the golf ball, trying to get my long game sharp."

Such things, admittedly, tend to be a slow process.

Mickelson stands 143rd on the US Tour in driving accuracy, but 12th in distance. If he can manage to keep the ball straight off the tee - and let his short game do the talking - Mickelson knows he will win his fair share of tournaments, and majors.

The decision to switch swing coaches from Rick Smith to Harmon was taken with a long-term view of achieving his aims.

"I felt that the last three years, as I improved from 150 yards in and I started to win golf tournaments because of my short game and improved iron play, that if I could get more balls in the fairway then I could shoot even lower scores and maybe even win more tournaments.

"The more I play, the more I feel comfortable with the changes. They don't seem so foreign, and the better I'm able to perform under pressure. But I wouldn't say the changes are radical.

"I'm not doing anything different from 150 yards in, which is the scoring (region). It's not like I'm working on a new technique for chipping or putting or my iron play. All it is doing is trying to add a different element off the tee."

The Players is one he would dearly like to win, even if it is behind the majors on his wish list. It is, as he yesterday claimed in the run-up to the tournament, the "fifth" in importance in his season, while also suggesting it "does have that special feel that only majors seem to have".

In fact, apart from a decent showing in 2004 when he finished tied-fourth, the course at Sawgrass has singularly refused to be enamoured with his talents: just two top-10s and four missed cuts among his 13 appearances.

However, successive third-place finishes in his last two outings - in the Byron Nelson and the Wachovia - since starting to work with Harmon would indicate that Mickelson is in shape to offer a challenge this time, particularly with the course changes increasing the emphasis on a player's short game.