Lefty is forced to rally again
Doubt began to enter Phil Mickelson's mind as he rifled through the undergrowth along the 11th fairway, searching for another one of his wayward tee shots.
Mickelson had returned to Augusta National Golf Club this week with plans to repeat as Masters Tournament champion.
He was beginning to wonder whether he'd have a lot more free time this weekend.
"When I was in the trees on 11, it looked like I could be packing my bags and missing the cut," the two-time winner said.
Mickelson, however, used his putter to regroup from a disastrous drive on No. 11 and finished with a 1-over par 73 in Friday's second round, leaving him at 5-over for the tournament.
The left-handed Mickelson looked relieved after finishing out with three pars in a row. By then, he knew his score was good enough to qualify for the final two rounds.
Though erratic off the tee so far, he still believes there's a chance for him to capture his third green jacket in four years.
"It was a tough fight; I fought hard to shoot that round," he said. "They have to play very well, but I think anybody who made the cut has a realistic chance. With the wind blowing the next two days like it's supposed to, I think over par is going to win. If you made the cut and shoot in the 60s, you're right back in it."
Mickelson's second round started a lot like his first. His tee shot drifted into the tree line along the left fairway of the first hole. He made bogey, then suffered back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes.
He blamed Mother Nature.
"I came out here this morning about ... nine o'clock and had great putting and chipping and ball striking in perfectly calm weather," he said. "The wind never blew. All the way up to teeing off there was no wind.
"Then about 2:30, about the second hole or so, the wind started coming up and never let down. In fact, it increased as the round wore on. That made it very difficult on holes like 11, 12 and 13, where you were picking clubs there where you had (three) different flags blowing (three) different ways."
Mickelson thought he'd found a groove after a flop shot with a 64-degree wedge saved par at No. 7, and after he birdied the eighth.
But his driver betrayed him again at the par-4 11th, which remained the most difficult hole after two rounds.
Mickelson's drive veered into the dense woods along the left side of the fairway. After some searching, he found the ball. He tried to punch it through a gap in the trees, but the ball struck a tree trunk and caromed deeper into the woods.
Staring at possibly taking an unplayable lie and a one-stroke penalty, Mickelson discovered that the ball was resting on some piping, which was considered a man-made obstruction.
Rules officials granted him a free drop, and he eventually made a 6-foot bogey putt.
It likely was a weekend-saving bogey.
"I was able to salvage a 5 somehow out of there," he said.
Mickelson was 7-over through 11 holes and seemed headed for the fate of another left-hander, Mike Weir. The Canadian missed the cut in 2004 after becoming the first lefty to win the tournament the year before.
But Mickelson became more consistent after his trouble at No. 11. He sank birdie putts at Nos. 13 and 15 and missed a 10-footer on No. 17 and an 8-footer on No. 18.
"Look, the first day I drove it horrible and I putted horrible," said Mickelson, who's hit just 12 of 28 fairways in two days. "(Friday) I just drove it horrible.
"I've got to hit more fairways the next two days. I don't feel bad with (the driver) in my hands. I feel confident. I turned the putter around. Now, I just need to add the driver and it should be off and running this weekend."
