MAMARONECK, N.Y. - Phil Mickelson once took the day off before a major to attend the Buffalo Bills' training camp. Two years ago at the Ryder Cup, he spent his final day of practice on an adjacent course being used for overflow parking and corporate chalets.

Lefty has always done things a little differently.

No one can argue with his methods now because they're working. Mickelson arrived at Winged Foot as the winner of the last two majors, and with a victory at the U.S. Open he can join Tiger Woods as the only players in the last 50 years to win three straight.

So where was he Wednesday on the final day of practice at Winged Foot?

Baltusrol, naturally.

Having studied Winged Foot close to a dozen times during the last two months, and wanting to escape the carnival atmosphere that has gripped U.S. majors in recent years, Mickelson headed to New Jersey for a leisurely round on a course that holds great memories.

It was at Baltusrol where his major streak began 10 months ago, when he hit a flop shot out of the mangled rough to tap-in range for birdie and a one-shot victory at the PGA Championship. Then came the Masters, where Mickelson quickly separated himself from a world-class leaderboard.

Suddenly, the guy who couldn't win a major has a chance to win three in a row.