PHIL Mickelson, the defending Masters champion, indicated yesterday that he again expects to use two drivers at Augusta in pursuit of his third green jacket in four years. Speaking from California on an international conference call organised by Augusta National, Mickelson expects to leave the sand-wedge out of his bag and pursue a similar strategy to the one which defeated Tim Clark by two shots and Tiger Woods by three a year ago.

peaking from California on an international conference call organised by Augusta National, Mickelson expects to leave the sand-wedge out of his bag and pursue a similar strategy to the one which defeated Tim Clark by two shots and Tiger Woods by three a year ago.

Mickelson triumphed last spring on a course which measured 7,445 yards - 258 yards were added in 2002 and 155 yards in 2006 - partly because he drove the ball further than anyone else. Thanks to those two drivers, the champion averaged 299 yards off the tee and played the extended par 5s in 13 under par.

Although in no doubt about the importance of driving well, Mickelson was reluctant to identify those par 5s as the keys to success in April. While he agreed the longer holes would again deliver most of the birdie opportunities, he was just as clear about the significance of a selection of testing par 3s. "They can eat your lunch," he rued.

For all the talk of Tiger-proofing the course, on the other hand, Augusta is now the terrain of the most powerful.

"The biggest difference at Augusta is the length they've added to the course and I swing as hard during the week of the Masters as I swing any week," he observed. That said, the addition of a first cut of rough has also placed more of a premium on accuracy than was the case ten years ago. After self-destructing on the 72nd hole at last summer's US Open, Mickelson worked during the winter months to eliminate a pushed drive to the left.

The success of those swing adjustments helped him to win at Pebble Beach on Sunday.

While he reckoned it wasn't essential for his confidence that he won a tournament before the Masters, Mickelson thought it was vital sharpness returned to his game. "I've focused on my driving and am driving better than I've ever done," he added.

In what promises to be another long-driving contest, it's worth bearing in mind Mickelson and Woods have won six of the last ten Masters tournaments between them. It won't need a soothsayer to identify the favourites for 2007.

• Simon Dyson insists he had not been deterred from returning to defend his Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open title despite the recent heavy flooding which caused considerable devastation in the city, killing more than 50 people and spreading fears of disease.

Dyson, 29, who clinched his first European Tour title in the Indonesian capital last year, said: "The only way I wouldn't have come here was if the tournament was not on."

Dyson claimed he had also been warned off travelling to Jakarta last year due to fears of terrorism and bird flu. "It was the same last year - people were advising us not to come, but I did and it changed my life. I was grateful to everybody for putting on the tournament and likewise this week. I wanted to come and try to win it again."