Masters Results 2012: Phil Mickelson's Late Charge Puts Him in Position to Win

It did not seem likely after day one, but Phil Mickelson is in great shape for a late run to win the Masters.

The lefty was seven strokes behind leader Lee Westwood after a 74 in the first round.

Friday did not start too much better, and a bogey on the 11th hole forced people to consider the possibility of him not even making the cut.

After that moment, however, things changed very quickly.

Mickelson went on to birdie the next two holes and then two more before his day was done.

He finished with a 68, only one behind Fred Couples as the best round on a day with cold air and heavy wind.

Now just three strokes behind the leaders, the veteran has plenty of time to make up ground over the weekend.

Mickelson has been here before, both physically and mentally. 

The 41-year-old is making his 20th appearance at Augusta. He knows the course as well as anyone.

More importantly, he knows what it takes to win, taking home the green jacket in 2004, 2006 and 2010. 

There are some talented golfers in front of him on the leaderboard, but there are not a lot of major championships between them. 

A good start on Saturday will put pressure on some of the younger competitors. Once they see a familiar name creep up the leaderboard, one that has won the championship three times before, they could start to fade.

The good news for Phil is that he still has not played his best golf these past two days.

If he can build off his late momentum and maintain consistency, he could be looking to tie Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer with his fourth Masters Championship.