Armed with an infectious smile and a steely determination, Phil Mickelson looked relaxed and confident as he faced the media at the Barclays Singapore Open.

By Eugene YS Han at Sentosa

It's no surprise at the amount of interest. Mickelson is the world number two and he is among the main draws at the Sentosa Golf Club, home of Serapong Course and the venue for the Barclays Singapore Open 2009 which starts this Thursday.

Lefty will be headlining a world-class field which includes fellow major winners Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els and Geoff Ogilvy as they compete for the Singapore Open, the richest national Open at US$5 million,

After a day of practice on Tuesday on the greens on the Serapong course with world number six Harrington, Darren Clarke and Bob Diamond, president of Barclays Capital, the 39-year-old American was singing the praises of the course, relishing the challenges of working his way around it and also shared his thoughts on golf in the Olympics.

"We had a great match and fun time. The course is in incredible shape as it has been for the last few years. It's amazing how well this course has been maintained," said Mickelson. "I think it's a world-class golf course."

"The rough is very difficult and very challenging. The greens and the fairways are in perfect shape. I think the conditions on the course are tremendous. This is really a championship calibre layout. I think I played better in the second year than I did on the first, (still) I hope to improve on my performance last year."

Mickelson finished ninth last year - five shots off the eventual winner Jeev Milkha Singh. In 2007, he finished joint-23rd on his Singapore Open debut.

The 39-year-old was also asked about how he felt about golf finally making it into the Olympics and how it can help grow golf around the globe.

"Everybody I have talked to is excited about golf becoming part of the Olympics," Mickelson said.

"It is the greatest thing that can happen to our sport. It will allow the growth of the game on a global basis and with the Olympic Foundations we will have a lot of money put towards the growth of the game for educating and teaching the juniors.

"I think the game of goal will finally get the recognition it deserves."

He rediscovered his famed putting touch with a sparkling five-under-par 65 in the final round of the Tour Championship for a three-shot triumph over second-placed Woods.

The Barclays Singapore Open boast a world-class field consisting of ten players in the world's top-50 and a total of 118 winners from the Asian Tour and European Tour, who are co-sanctioning the Barclays Singapore Open for the first time.

* ESPNSTAR.com's Ian Griffiths and Eugene YS Han will be at the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club during the course of the event. Catch the Barclays Singapore Open LIVE on STAR Sports starting from Thursday, October 29 at 1330 HKT.