Johnson steering clear of Mickelson
Dustin Johnson had news to cheer American golf fans on Tuesday -- he and Phil Mickelson will be kept well away from each other when team captain Fred Couples works out the pairings for this week's Presidents Cup.
Friends off the course, and possessing a similar style of play, the two appeared set for a promising partnership at last year's Ryder Cup in Wales but crashed in both their matches as the Americans went down 14 ½ to 13 ½.
Both finished a disappointing 1-3 for the tournament and Johnson said he was keen to keep Mickelson in the cross-hairs rather than in his pocket.
"Me and Phil will not be playing together this week," Johnson told reporters with a lopsided smile at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
"We do better playing against each other than with each other. We are good buddies, we love playing each other. But as far as -- you know, some people, you just don't -- as Phil put it, we didn't have that good energy.
"We are very similar. Especially the way we play and stuff. So we just didn't quite mesh well.
"I think the biggest thing is you've got to have fun out there ... If you don't necessarily have fun with the guy you are playing with, then it's just not going to be a good day."
Four-times major winner Mickelson, a veteran of all nine Presidents Cups, has rarely had fun on his overseas jaunts in match-play, having never won a single match against the Internationals away from North American soil.
The 41-year-old was winless from four matches during the United States' sole loss at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1998 and notched a woeful 5-0 losing record in the drawn 2003 tournament in South Africa.
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Royal Melbourne looms again this week as a big test for the Americans and Mickelson who finished nine strokes behind winner Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano at the rain-shortened Singapore Open on Sunday.
After the United States players were blamed for slack preparations in the leadup to their 1998 loss, Couples demanded his players get to a friendly timezone in the leadup to adjust, and while that would help their cause, the Americans could not be considered favourites, Mickelson said.
"Well, I think because most of the guys have come down here already, travelled to Asia, parts of Asia, parts of Australia to play and compete and get adjusted to the time as well as get their game sharp, I do expect the US Team to put on a good challenge," he told reporters.
"Certainly I would expect them to be the favourite because of their home course knowledge, as well as the home course support, but we are going to try to make a good run."
Mickelson has rarely looked at history as a guide to future form and was not keen to dwell on the 1998 result, despite the lessons he might pass down to debutants Bubba Watson and Nick Watney in the US team.
With the team enjoying some sightseeing and a night out gambling on Monday, Mickelson said keeping the atmosphere fun remained paramount, echoing his laid-back captain's mantra.
"If you play well you are going to play well whether it's a PGA Tour event or whether it's the Presidents Cup or next year's Ryder Cup, what have you.
"We want everybody to feel comfortable and excited to be here and enjoy their time, not only on the golf course but off it, as well and we are having some fun times in the team room, too."