• Open champion says he cannot play 25 weeks a year
• 'I have had ups and downs, I'm an emotional player'
Phil Mickelson plans to cut his schedule by a quarter next year after an inconsistent season, even though his three tournament wins in 2013 included his first Open Championship.
Mickelson secured a memorable victory in the Open at Muirfield in July, with his other successes coming at the Scottish Open and Phoenix Open. Yet after signing off with a tie for 12th at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, nine shots adrift of the winner Henrik Stenson, Mickelson explained his plan for improvement in 2014, which is also a Ryder Cup year.
"It has been a really good year for me," he said. "Culminating with the British Open win, the Phoenix Open win, the Scottish Open win in there. It's been a good year.
"I've had some good things happen in my game. I've reached different levels of abilities with driving the ball. My short game has really come around to the level I expect it to be at. My putting has just been tremendous. I'm looking forward to next year. I think that, as I look back on this year, I had some great highs and I had some lows. I think that I don't play at my highest level every single week. I have kind of ups and downs and I'm a very emotional player.
"I think that I'm going to have to factor that into some of my scheduling and maybe cut out 25% of my events in an effort to play at a high level when I do play, because I know that I'm not able to do it 25 weeks a year. Maybe I can do it 18 or 20, though."
Mickelson's comments bore a slight resemblance to those of his old adversary, Tiger Woods. The world No1 cited fatigue in Atlanta and admitted he, once again, will try to curtail his schedule as much as possible next year. Rory McIlroy did likewise for the year, albeit that move was widely criticised after the Northern Irishman's switch to new equipment. McIlroy has conceded he should have played more competitive golf at the start of the season.
One player who is relishing every chance he gets on the US PGA Tour is Jordan Spieth. The 20-year-old tied for second in the Tour Championship and is now 21st in the world rankings, a matter of months after starting to play regular top-level golf.
Spieth will now join Mickelson, Woods et al as part of the United States team for next weekend's Presidents Cup.
"Not only is he a great player but he's got a great demeanour," said Mickelson of Spieth. "He is very easy to be around and very likeable. That adds a lot to the team room and adds a lot to him as a partner for whoever plays with him at the Presidents Cup.
"I would think there's a good chance that a guy like Steve Stricker, who partnered with him in our little Wednesday match at East Lake, that they would spend some time together.
"But whoever plays with Jordan has got a real treat because he can make a lot of birdies. He's exciting to play with. But he's just as enjoyable to be around."
