Phil Mickelson says that he has fasted six days to "heal"

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – What will Phil do next?

In all the years this question has been asked, not one person has ever thought that the answer would be fasting. But that's what Phil Mickelson did and did.

The man at the gigantic game and the big appetite to live, and then the dinner table turned to the mirror – and the paintings of his recent play – and decided that he was to make some changes. So, in anticipation of the 148th edition of the British Open, which will be played out on the huge links named Royal Portrush, Mickelson weighs 15 to 18 pounds less than it was 15 days ago.

In a video posted Sunday on social mediaMickelson looked remarkably thinner as he explained that he had made a "hard reset to change and try to make things better". The approach included a six-day fast, a brief retreat and the consumption of water and a special coffee blend for the well-being.

Monday at Royal Portrush, where Mickelson had a long session on the training ground, then joined Alex Noren and Matthew Baldwin at the 13th start and played, proving that the video had not been photographed. He looked even leaner than in the video, yet on those last six holes, he was still hitting bombs and had a lot of bop in his irons and his footsteps.

"I did not fast to lose weight, I fasted to heal," said Mickelson.

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The five-time champion, who won the 2013 British Open at Muirfield and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, won his 44th PGA Tour title at the Pro-Am AT & T Pebble Beach. Since then, however, he has missed the cup in four of his last six starts and finished only in the top 20, a tie for 18th at the Masters.

Thus, the man who never feared change or the risky shot, who at 49 is still looking for this golfer's fountain, removed food from his game plan.

"Mechanically, my momentum is exactly where I want it to be," said Mickelson, who has also added yoga to his daily routine and set out on many hikes to nurture his desire to improve physically and mentally. "But mentally, I just lost focus, and my energy was not there, so I had to make some changes.

"The first day, a day and a half, was difficult, but on the fifth or sixth day, I no longer needed food, I feel much better, I have so much energy, of mental clarity. "

Mickelson did not want this hardware reset, willy-nilly. He has consumed numerous reports of studies on the improvement of his mental and physical being. He talked to the doctors about his new lawsuit. And a quote that he recently met resonated with him and pushed him to change.

"Everything you put into your body causes disease or helps you fight it."

The quote is the 15th club in his bag because it resonates in his mind and encourages him to go from the front.

"Extensive research shows that fasting allows your body to heal itself," said Mickelson.

After ending his fast, Mickelson became a rabbit. Since he brought food back to his world at the end of last week, he followed a plant-based diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. As he said, he hardly eats because his smaller stomach fills up quickly with a serving.

"And I'll stay after that," he says. "I had to make some changes, I'm not sure it will improve my game I do not have high expectations this week, but I love this tournament and I'm just going to have fun.

"I hope my game will run slowly."