Sense of history drives Mickelson onwards

Mickelson, who posted a record sixth runners-up finish in the US Open last month, is finalising his preparations for the third major championship of the year by playing in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

Castle Stuart is just five miles away from Culloden, which in April 1746 saw the final confrontation of the Jacobite Rebellion where British troops defeated those of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

“There are some plans to check out the battlefields of the war back in 1746 between the Hanoverians and the Jacobites,” said Mickelson, whose wife and children are with him in Scotland. “I’m not sure, I’ve got to read up on it.”

Sheffield’s Danny Willett finalises his preparations for next week’s Open at Castle Stuart.

The 25-year-old has been dogged by back problems all season and is still far from fully fit.

He is joined at the Scottish Open by Malton’s Simon Dyson, fresh from his best finish for nearly two years, a fifth place at last week’s French Open.

Hull’s Richard Finch and Harrogate’s John Parry are also in the field, looking for the victory that will get them into the Open.