Fans would crowd around every tee just to see where in Pennsylvania he might hit it.

Instead, the questions center on his wrist, not his mind. That’s not bad, because they’re a lot easier to answer.

His excuse for the week is at the end of his left arm. Expectations have accordingly been lowered by the day.

“I wish I had one more week of recovery and practice time to prepare properly, but you do the best you can,” Mickelson said.

It’s now been a full year since the Mickelson meltdown, a collapse so shockingly sudden and complete that even the usually loquacious Lefty could barely summon up the words to describe it.

“I am such an idiot” was the best he could do, and few who were there to witness it could disagree.

Among them was Johnny Miller, whose job it was to describe to the nation what was happening when Mickelson for reasons that only he seemed to comprehend pulled out a driver on the final hole and promptly gave away the championship.

“Right now, Ben Hogan officially has rolled over in his grave,” Miller said as Mickelson’s tee shot sailed wide left. “Just crazy shot selection.”

Special feature Who will be the last man standing Sunday?

Mickelson insists he left the disaster behind him almost from the moment he left the course. In his next breath, he also insists it has made him a better player because it forced him to pair up with instructor Butch Harmon to eliminate the wild left shot from his repertoire.

Indeed, the new Mickelson won the Player’s Championship with a shorter swing, hitting fairways and greens on the final day in what many thought was just a preview of what he would do in the Open.

But questions remained, as they always seem to do with Mickelson.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Pain on the skating rink, flying high on the hardwood, upsets on the football field, and more. more photos

Would he be able to block out the past and contend? Would he sleep well Saturday night if he was near the lead, or would he dream the nightmare that was his a year ago?

Would he be able to stand on the 18th tee in the final round with a clear mind?

Don’t count on tuning in Sunday afternoon to find out.

MORE FROM GOLF

Golf Section Front

Nordqvist wins LPGA Tour Championship Out of Bounds: Tiger booed ... at Stanford? Latest golf videos Latest player news, rumors and more Tracking Tiger: News, features and more Tiger's triumphs: Recapping all Woods' wins Vote: When will Tiger win his 15th major? Vote, discuss: Best major of 2009? Special section: Golf on NBC Discuss: Sound off on golf at Newsvine.com Golf Section Front   Add Golf headlines to your news reader: