‘Fifth major’ can be a guide to U.S. Open

As soon as there was enough light to play Tuesday morning, Tiger Woods began his practice round at Sawgrass, where you don’t have to look too far to see there’s a great deal at stake out there in the fairway grass.

Besides the prize money of the Players Championship, which is expected to reach $9 million when Commissioner Tim Finchem makes an announcement today, the stakes continue to grow this week for Woods, and everyone else chasing him.

This is certainly no tournament to be taken lightly, not with 48 of the top 50-ranked players showing up in the 145-player field.

But with Woods at peak form and Phil Mickelson apparently getting closer to straightening out his swing, the PGA Tour’s most compelling players can take a status check with the U.S. Open just five weeks away.

Woods remains in his preeminent position. He has played six tournaments, won three of them, including last week at the Wachovia, and tied for second at the Masters.

After he finished his practice round, Woods acknowledged the Players Championship as the so-called fifth major, then rated the degree of difficulty of pro golf’s greatest prizes, the four majors.

Woods said even regular tournaments are difficult.

“It’s not easy to win. Look at the fields, how much deeper they are now. And because the fields are so much deeper, it’s harder for a player to gain the experience at a younger age.

“Once you get on tour, how many times are you going to be in contention on Sunday afternoons? You’re going to fail, but when is the next time you’re going to get back there?”

For Woods, he has been back there plenty. His two-shot victory Sunday at the Wachovia was his 57th PGA Tour victory, and with 12 majors, he leads all active players. Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els have three major titles.

Mickelson’s journey back into prime time has come along faster than he probably expected. After he tied for 24th at the Masters, he tied for third at the Nelson and tied for third again last week at the Wachovia. Mickelson is a combined 19 under in his last two events and said that the coaching he has received from Butch Harmon is beginning to pay off.

According to Harmon, he is trying to shorten Mickelson’s swing at the tee and build a swing that will hold up under pressure.

Harmon worked Tuesday morning with Mickelson and they are supposed to get together again today.

“I think it will take some time for me to feel comfortable and confident,” Mickelson said. “But I’m starting to see the difference.

“I’ll have a lot of work to get where I want to be, ultimately, and that’s going to take time. There’s no little, quick fix to years of poor driving.”

Mickelson is 143rd in driving accuracy, hitting about 56% of the fairways, but he’s a solid 12th in driving distance and averaging 296.8 yards off the tee.

Driving accuracy has been a long-standing pursuit for Mickelson, who is satisfied with his game from 150 yards and in to the green. The adjustments he’s trying to make didn’t really show up when he played the Nelson, and Mickelson was sort of surprised.

“I thought I was going to drive it better than I did, and as it turns out, it takes a little bit of adjustment to have confidence with it under the gun when fairways are tighter and firmer and crosswinds and so forth.

“And so the more I play, the more I feel comfortable with the changes, the more they set in and they don’t feel so foreign, and the better I’m able to perform under pressure.”

His driving may be a work in progress, but Mickelson’s ranking is definitely on the move. Jim Furyk is ranked 2nd over Mickelson, but they’re basically dead even: 7.61-7.60.

With Oakmont and the U.S. Open beginning June 14, Mickelson was asked when he would start getting ready.

“About three weeks ago,” he said.

As for Woods, he’s already dialing in the Open after playing a couple of practice rounds there recently.

He said the greens are like nothing he’s seen before, not at all like Augusta National, with lots of pitch to them.

“There aren’t too many holes in which you have the ability to see the fairway and the green on the same hole ... and the greens, once you get to the greens, boy, that’s the challenge right there, trying to putt these things with the right speed because you’re coming over so many different mounds and angles and pitch on the greens that it’s going to be one great test.”

The U.S. Open is a final exam, but the Players Championship is far from a mere practice test. Woods and Mickelson aren’t the only ones trying to get it right, they’re just the two in the front row who won’t be overlooked.

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thomas.bonk@latimes.com