Mickelson aims for first Singapore Open title

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SINGAPORE (AP) -- World No. 2 Phil Mickelson says he's finally got the Sentosa Golf Club course figured out and expects to better his previous performances when the $5 million Singapore Open starts Thursday.

Mickelson tied for ninth place at 2 under last year and finished 23rd at 8 over in 2007. He hopes to be able to put those results behind him this week by easing his attacking style on certain holes.

"Last year, I was a little overly aggressive at times," Mickelson said after finishing a practice round Tuesday. "I'll play one or two holes more conservatively than I have in the past.

"Now that I've played here a couple of times, I've learned the nuances of the golf course."

Mickelson, who has won three tournaments this year but no majors, said he hopes to build on the momentum from his TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola victory last month.

"The last few weeks I've started to play very well," he said. "It's been an OK year. I would have liked to have a victory at a major."

Mickelson said greens softened by rain should result in low scores at the Singapore Open, which is co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours.

"The greens and the fairways are in perfect shape and allow for low scoring," he said. "Sixteen, 17 under will be a pretty good score."

India's Jeev Milkha Singh won last year's tournament with a 7-under performance.

After Singapore, Mickelson will remain in Asia to join Tiger Woods at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai next week.