“I want to be a 46-year old Olympian” declared Phil Mickelson as he already sets his sights on new year.

Mickelson is returning to competition in this week’s Barclays Championship in Paramus, New Jersey and the opening event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Play-Off Series.

However after the disappointment of finishing joint runner-up in last fortnight’s PGA Championship Mickelson is already committing himself to the New Year.

And aside from capturing a sixth Major Championship Mickelson wants to use 2015 to build up qualifying points so that he qualify to be part of the two-man USA Team when golf returns to the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Phil Mickelson joins the band – The Navy Band.

“I am already looking forward to 2015 and after these few events and the Ryder Cup, I may take the rest of the year off and just work on my golf game,” he said.

“I really want to focus on 2015 as 2015 is when the points start accumulating for the 2016 Olympics, and I don’t know why that is important to me but it is.

“I want to be a 46-year old Olympian as I think that would be pretty cool.

“So ’15 and ’16 are two years I want to focus in on, and I want to make sure I’m ready.”

Mickelson’s Vahalla effort was his best finish this season in the four Majors after missing the cut in the Masters and then finishing T28th in the US Open and T23rd in the defence of his Open Championship title.

“The PGA Championship was a big week for me as it was the first time this year I got my game back,” he said.

“That gives me excitement and energy heading into the FedEx Cup and this week’s Barclays Championship here in New Jersey.

“It was so much fun being up there again the PGA Championship feeling the nerves and the excitement of it all.”

Incidentally, the oldest-ever Olympian was Oscar Swahn of Sweden. He was 72 years, 281 days old when he competed at the 1920 Olympics in shooting. He also qualified for the 1924 Olympics but withdrew without competing.