By Dave Shedloski

Bethesda, Md. - Phil Mickelson turns 41 on Thursday, which is also the opening round of the 111th U.S. Open, and it says a lot about his skill and resourcefulness - not to mention his psychological elasticity - that he remains a primary favorite at the one major championship that has frustrated him the most.

Mickelson has finished runner-up in the U.S. Open a record five times, most recently at Bethpage Black in 2009. Last year at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, where he tied for fourth, he spoke of winning what he called "my U.S. Open." Whether or not he gets it this week at Congressional Country Club's Blue Course, Mickelson will draw considerable focus, especially with three-time winner and former No. 1 Tiger Woods on the sidelines with knee and Achilles injuries.

You would think that Mickelson might be exhibiting a bit of impatience at this point, like his contemporary, two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els, who has been in a funk of late over major near misses, including a close call at Pebble Beach, where he was third.

Sure, Phil is not thrilled by his shutout in the National Open. But he remains resolute and hopeful.

"I think that having come close and having finished second here, being in contention so many times through the years, I really believe that I can win this tournament," Mickelson said Tuesday at Congressional. "But just as when I was trying to win my first major championship, if you focus so much on the result, if you focus so much on winning, sometimes you can get in your own way. And so I'm trying not to think about winning as much as I am trying to enjoy the challenge that lies ahead, because I know that the next 72 holes of golf starting on Thursday is going to be very difficult."

Making the challenge more arduous is the absence of Woods and the emergence of new, younger threats. That might seem counterintuitive, but Mickelson, winner of three Masters and a PGA Championship, understands that Woods hasn't always been a roadblock to his aspirations.

"I've always felt as though Tiger helped bring out some of my best golf over the years," said Mickelson, now No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking. "And even though my record against him may not be the best, it's helped me achieve a higher level that I may not have ever achieved had he not been pushing me. So the challenge now is without him playing his best or even competing like he's not this week, is pushing myself to achieve a level of play that is in there without him forcing me to do so. So in that sense it might be a little bit more difficult."

Mickelson should have no trouble getting motivated. There will be plenty of other players pushing him this week, most of them from destinations outside the U.S. Lee Westwood, a perennial U.S. Open contender, would have to be given great respect, as would his compatriot, Luke Donald, currently the world's No. 1-ranked player.

Rory McIlroy may have suffered a disheartening final-nine meltdown at the Masters in April, but he could easily follow on the heels of defending champion Graeme McDowell and bring Northern Ireland a second straight Open win.

Charl Schwartzel, who birdied the final four holes to claim the 2011 Masters, is the only player with a chance to win the Grand Slam. The South African should not be discounted. Neither should fellow countryman Els, who won the second of his two Opens here at Congressional in 1997.

Meanwhile, the American threats, along with Mickelson, are No. 4 Steve Stricker, who won the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago, and long-hitting Dustin Johnson, who owned the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach for 55 holes until being undone by a final-round 82.

In most cases, however, it's the youngsters like McIlroy, Donald, Johnson, Schwartzel, Martin Kaymer of Germany, the reigning PGA champion, and Japan's wunderkind Ryo Ishikawa who are figuring prominently in many pre-championship conversations.

"These [youngsters] are coming through and they've got the confidence, and obviously they feel it's their time," Els said. "So you talk about guys not well known, well, I was not well known when I won. When I won in '94 [at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh] I think you guys must have thought I was the biggest surprise in the history of the game. But you find your ground."

That's happening more and more. The last 10 majors have been won by 10 different players. The trend is for more of the same: no trend.

"It's exciting, isn't it? It's nice to have different champions," said Kaymer. "It's interesting for golf and the world. It's nice that K.J. Choi, that he won TPC (The Players Championship) recently. It's great for Asia, as well. You can see the World Rankings, it's changing every week, every month it's something else going on. So I find it very exciting."

It could well produce another exciting U.S. Open.

Dave Shedloski is an Ohio-based freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on USGA websites.