DUBLIN, Ohio - As far as weekends go, Phil Mickelson's was interesting.
It certainly wasn't great on the golf course, but itt could have been worse. Those federal agents who visited Mickelson at Muirfield Village Golf Club after his first round at the Memorial could have done more than just ask questions.
Mickelson maintained that he's done nothing wrong in regards to the insider trading probe that brought those agents to Dublin. He released a statement saying he's cooperating fully, then reiterated that after Saturday's third round.
"From a golf standpoint, it wasn't a bad week," Mickelson said Sunday, a few minutes after finishing at -1 for the tournament.
By Monday morning, Mickelson was at Pinehurst in North Carolina, home of next week's U.S. Open. He'll be at Pinehurst through Tuesday afternoon, then go to Memphis to play next weekend in the St. Jude Classic.
A lot of golf's big names -- few are bigger than Mickelson -- will be taking the weekend off. Mickelson will not just be playing, but looking for marked improvement.
"Obviously I didn't have a shot at it this weekend or (Sunday at the Memorial), but I really need to get in contention next week," Mickelson said. "I'll be trying really hard to get myself a run at it, to have a good tournament, because I do need a little bit of momentum, a little bit of that nervous feeling I had at Charlotte the final round.
"I need to feel that again this week to really give myself a good chance at the U.S. Open."
The U.S. Open is the only major Mickelson has not won.
His 2014 form, though, would indicate a major turnaround is needed. In 12 events this year, his only top 10 finish was a second in Abu Dhabi back in January. He finished tied for 11th at the Wells Fargo, the Charlotte event he referenced when talking good feelings.
He got off to a great start in the first round at the Memorial, shooting 4-under on his first nine holes, but slipped from there to finish at even par. His only under par round was a 2-under 70 in Friday's second round.
"I need to putt a little bit better from 15 feet (and in)," Mickelson said. "I need to make some more of those. The greens here are just pristine, in perfect shape. I didn't make enough of those, so that's an area that I'll have to do well next week."
Mickelson was second in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst but struggled and finished tied for 33rd there in 2005. His vaunted short game should help his chances at Pinehurst, and he said he's "surprisingly" feeling good about the way he's hitting his driver. He knows he needs to make improvements in several areas if he's going to complete the career grand slam.
"I have notes from 2005 that are pretty extensive that regards how to play the holes (at Pinehurst), where to miss it, what the shots are like," Mickelson said. "I don't think much of that has changed. Maybe 75 or 80 percent of that is already done, and I'll do fine tuning because the course itself and the integrity of the course is the same."
