The absence of Tiger Woods from next week''s Open Championship will not devalue the achievement of winning the event, according to Phil Mickelson.
World number one Woods will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, meaning there is no clear favourite for the tournament at Royal Birkdale.
Callaway professional Mickelson, who has never previously finished better than third in the Open, is among those tipped to mount a challenge.
And if he can live up to his billing as world number two and secure his fourth Major, Mickelson will not worry about who he did not have to beat.
"If you look back at Jack Nicklaus''s 18 Majors or Tom Watson''s eight, I don''t look back at the field they played, I just look back at the tournaments they''ve won," the 30-year-old explained.
Mickelson''s previous Major victories came in the 2004 and 2006 Masters, and the 2005 PGA Championship. |