U.S. Open preview: Can Phil Mickelson shock us again? Torrey Pines' tricks. The money behind Bryson vs. Brooks 'rivalry.'

Before last month’s PGA Championship, long-time Real Golf Radio host Brian Taylor joined me to preview the tournament, discuss its history and the return of fans to golf, analyze the Kiawah Island course and predict which golfers might contend.

About the only thing Taylor didn’t break down was how Phil Mickelson was going to shock the world and win the thing at 50 years old, becoming the oldest man to ever win a major golf championship.

“I don’t know how that could’ve been on anybody’s radar. That was something else,” Taylor said when we got him back for Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast.

Taylor said, in his 22 years covering golf, that may have been the most memorable event he has seen since Mickelson won his first major at the 2004 Masters.

Even counting some of Tiger Woods’ great victories.

“To become the oldest winner to ever win a major championship on the longest, arguably toughest major venue out there, I don’t know if there is anything more Phil-like than Phil doing that.”

So we wanted to ask Taylor if Mickelson’s stunning victory in South Carolina puts him in position to pull off another head-scratcher this week at the U.S. Open, now that he has turned 51.

The first round is on Thursday in San Diego, with Mickelson teeing off at 10:51 a.m. on the 10th tee at Torrey Pines.

“It does keep him in the conversation at Torrey Pines,” Taylor said.

That may sound crazy since Mickelson has never won a U.S. Open. Meanwhile, he’s won the Masters three times (2004, ‘06, ‘10), the PGA twice (2005, ‘21) and The Open Championship once (2013). But Taylor says history actually tells a better tale of Mickelson’s play at the U.S. Open once you look beyond his goose egg in the victory column.

“Six times he has been a runner up. Six times he has been in contention with an opportunity to win,” Taylor argued. “For somebody that puts themselves there that frequently in this one particular major, you have to say in some ways it does fit his game. Can he finally just break through whatever mental hurdle (he has)? He is in rarefied air at this point. So why not?”

One might think that playing at Torrey Pines would be an advantage for Mickelson. He grew up playing that course and has had three tour championships on it.

But the most recent one of those victories was way back in 2001. And the redesign for the U.S. Open has made the layout very unfamiliar to Mickelson. As ESPN.com recently chronicled, Mickelson doesn’t really like it either.

Taylor thinks it’ll be tough for everyone, even though they are playing it 200 yards shorter than when Tiger Woods held off Rocco Mediate for the U.S. Open title in 2008.

“It’s 7,600 yards. I played it at 6,600 yards. And I was worn out by the end of the round,” Taylor said, noting that thick rough with three different kinds of grass is what made the course particularly tricky.

“You are going to get varying types of lies. You are going to get some that drop all the way to the bottom. Some that hang in the middle. Some that sit up. Each of them presents a unique challenge,” Taylor explained.

Mickelson also said the greens have gotten very firm. Taylor echoed that, pointing out that there are plateaus with tough pin locations, too.

That’s why Taylor likes Patrick Reed as a potential winner this week since his putting is so good. But Taylor says to look out for Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele as well.

I like that Reed pick. But as for Mickelson, he’s still a 50-1 longshot according to the Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill despite that PGA stunner.

Also on Thursday’s podcast, Taylor and I talk about the Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau rivalry and why it may be even more about showbiz and money than you think. We get into the “green-reading books” debate. And we discussed that Happy Gilmore-esque fight on the Korn Ferry Tour this week.

Listen: Tim Benz and Real Golf Radio host Brian Taylor preview the U.S. Open