Masters Tournament patrons witnessed the complete Phil Mickelson on Friday.

Lefty went righty to save par from behind a tree. He punched shots from pine needles and through gaps in trees and saved par with a flop shot.

On the back nine, he joined in the scoring, making birdie or better on five of his final seven holes to shoot a second-round 68 and stand six shots back of co-leaders Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.

His run started with a birdie on No. 12 after he had bogeyed 11 to drop to 2-over for the week.

"When I made that, I was able to start attacking," he said.

A 345-yard drive on the par-5 No. 13 left him with a 9-iron approach, which he struck to two feet to awaken what had been a quiet patron following. He made eagle.

Mickelson could have gone lower: A 15-footer on No. 14 required a magic act to stay out of the cup, and he left a 25-foot putt on No. 17 an inch shy.

With breezy conditions, which worsened when Mickelson made the turn, the two-time champion was content with his finish. He closed with a birdie on No. 18.

"I thought anything in the 60s would put me right back in the tournament," he said.

Mickelson said he expects a tougher setup today. The 38-year-old has failed to break par in the third round his past two tries.

He praised Friday's setup, though his round was adventurous. His tee shot on No. 1 came to rest against a tree, and he was forced to punch out right-handed. He got up and down to save par.

His approach from the pine needles on No. 7 navigated two trees to end up long left. He made a 15-footer for par after a flop shot from the fringe.

On No. 8, Mickelson's approach landed on the No. 9 tee.

"It was important to use my short game to try and salvage the round," Mickelson said. "I probably could have had one or two more up-and-downs I let slide away. I won't complain."

Reach Stephen Fastenau at (706) 863-6165, ext. 116 or stephen.fastenau@augustachronicle.com.