(Editor's Note: Golf fitness trainer Sean Cochran (www.seancochran.com) is at the 2006 Open Championship with Phil Mickelson, for whom he serves as trainer. Sean will be filing daily journal entries through the conclusion of the tournament.)
I am writing this bright and early before I head to the course. By the time many of you read this, the first round will be in full swing.
Believe it or not, it rained last night! I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of rain and thunder. For a moment I wondered what it was, then I realized it was rain, something we haven’t had here for a long time.
It rained pretty good, I imagine giving the course a good watering. If I were a betting man (which I am not), I would say the greens will be a little softer, and the course will play a little longer. I also would bet they will for sure not water the course for the rest of the week.
I rose early this morning to get my workout in, and it felt like Florida in the middle of August. Meaning it was humid! I was sweating before I even finished my stretches. On top of it, there was absolutely no wind. Indicating to me some low scores will be in the mix today if the conditions stay the same.
As you all know, Team Mickelson has been here in glorious old England for more than a week, and many of you are probably wondering what we have been doing.
Well, outside of watching some interesting shows on the "tele," taking in some local cuisine (fish and chips), and honing our driving skills (let's hope the rental car agency doesn’t see that front bumper), we have been preparing for the Open Championship.
It's been well-documented by the media folks. How Phil jumped on his plane a few weeks ago with Dave Pelz and "Bones" to survey Royal Liverpool. And that is exactly what they did. They walked the course for two days, getting a general feel for it and learning its ins and outs.
Once the rest of us arrived last Wednesday, we all went to work. Phil, Pelz, and Bones spent the majority of each day at the course. Going hole to hole preparing for today. Once they returned from practice it was time for Phil to work out. His workouts with me centered on "peaking" his body physically for today.
This was the regimen for the last week and all the preparation pointed to the start of the tournament today. Now it is time to take all the hard work and execute it. I will say this as the tournament begins: I know no other golfer in the field who is better prepared to play Royal Liverpool than Phil. Hopefully his hard work and effort will pay off come Sunday.
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