Chambers Bay allows 'less than perfect' shots

Phil Mickelson said he was not as disgruntled as some at the U.S. Open being hosted by Chambers Bay.

The relatively new course in Washington state - it was established in 2007 - will host the year's second major, with alternating pars, fescue grass and a lone tree among the quirks.

Mickelson, a six-time runner-up at the U.S. Open, said he feels the course is more forgiving than some are allowing, with Jason Day conceding he can understand the criticism of the course - and Rory McIlroy claiming being "slightly off" will magnify bad shots.

Others to stick the boot in include Ryan Palmer, who said, "This is not a championship golf course", while Ian Poulter labelled the use of Chambers Bay as "a complete farce".

"This golf course allows for short game to save shots that may be less than perfect," Mickelson told a news conference on Tuesday.

"It does not force you to play perfect golf, there's plenty of room to play and recover from.

"I feel like there's a number of holes you can capitalise and make birdies on and shoot a good number.

"I feel like it has characteristics of playability somewhat to Augusta, characteristics of St Andrews, that allow you to play it less than perfect.

"You don't have to hit perfect golf shots around here to be able to score and get around it."

Perfection and Mickelson have not gone hand-in-hand for some time, either, with the left-hander winless since The Open Championship in 2013.

But he said his game is in shape to contend, having finished tied for second at the Masters, going tied for fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship and finishing with a 65 to earn a top-three result at the St Jude Classic.

"I think that I've gone through kind of a period these past couple of years, where I haven't played my best golf," Mickelson assessed.

"I feel like I'm back on the upswing, I don't know if I'm quite there yet or not.

"This week will be a good test to see how far along I've come, but I feel like I have the proper direction in my game. But you just never know.

"It's been a little while since I've played my best golf. We'll see."