PHIL MICKELSON reckons he’s finally ready to win the Claret Jug after yesterday’s Scottish Open triumph proved he has mastered links golf.

The American claimed his first victory on British soil after a day of drama at windswept Castle Stuart ended in a nail-biting play-off with Branden Grace.

Lefty looked to have let victory slip through his fingers in regulation play when a shock three-putt on the last green tossed away his slender lead and let the South African back in.

But in true Mickelson style he returned to the scene of his slip-up to redeem himself with a moment of

magic, conjuring up a superb chip to within 15 inches.

His reward is a £500,000 cheque, a rise to fifth in the world rankings and the satisfaction of ending a 21-year wait to win a tournament on British soil after toiling for so long to get to grips with conditions alien to his Californian homeland.

Perhaps even more significantly, it’s a massive declaration he is ready to be considered a serious contender at The Open when he arrives at Muirfield today.

And Mickelson admits he has never fancied his chances more.

He said: “I’ve never felt more excited going into The Open.

“I don’t think there’s a better way to get ready for a Major than playing well the week before and getting into contention.

“Coming out on top just gives me more confidence.

“But there’s a lot that’s involved in The Open – you need some luck, you need to play well and you need some good bounces.

“It’s special for me to have some success over here. It has been the biggest challenge of my career adapting to links-style golf and this final round was a great challenge in some difficult conditions.

“This is really fulfilling. I knew I had been playing well and that my game felt really good going into this week. It also feels as prepared as possible on these difficult ?conditions. I hit a lot of good shots but also some shots I have to work on going into next week.”

Shots like the putt he raced five feet beyond the 72nd hole when two putts from 20 feet would have earned him victory without the stress of a play-off.

Mickelson said: “Nobody likes a movie that’s predictable! You always want a bit of suspense.

“I don’t know what happened on the last hole, I just lost a bit of focus and ran that first putt by.

“So to come out, refocus, get ready for the play-off and make a four on a tough hole, I feel good.”