Phil Mickelson Says He's 'Close to Going on a Tear' After 2nd-Round 69 at Masters

As the second round of the 2023 Masters came to a close Friday at Augusta National Golf Club, three-time champion Phil Mickelson tied for 10th at four below par through 36 holes.

He posted a three-under 69 on Friday to finish the day above the top two finishers in the 2022 tournament, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

"I'm close to going on a tear," Mickelson said, via ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "Even though the scores haven't shown it, like I'm hitting so many good shots, pretty soon I'm going to have a really low one. When that happens, and it clicks, then the game feels easy again. Then I stop putting pressure on myself, and the scores just start to fall into place."

The tournament marks 52-year-old Mickelson's first Masters since he became the face of Saudi Arabia's LIV Golf League last year.

Friday marked the 59th time Mickelson has completed a Masters round under par, moving him past Tom Watson to rank second in tournament history, according to ESPN. Jack Nicklaus, who won six Masters Tournaments, holds the title with 71 rounds under par.

Although he hit three under par Friday, Mickelson told Schlabach he preferred his one under 71 opening round on Thursday.

"I actually did not hit it anywhere near as well as I did yesterday," Mickelson said. "But I scored well. I got it up and down, made a lot of good putts. With one exception of a poor chip on 6, I had a lot of good saves around the green, bunker shots, good 6-footers, and scored. That's what I needed to do yesterday, and I could have gone really low."

Mickelson was absent from the Masters for the first time since 1994 last year amid backlash over his decision to join Saudi Arabia's state-sponsored LIV Golf alongside his controversial comments on the country's human rights record.

Although the PGA Tour suspended Mickelson in March for allegedly attempting to recruit other tour members to LIV Golf, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said his absence from the 2022 Masters Tournament was self-imposed.

This year, Mickelson and 17 other LIV Golf players arrived in Augusta, where they said they received warm welcomes from tournament organizers and other players despite the ongoing controversy.

Six-time PGA Tour winner Cameron Smith, who also left for the Saudi league, said this weekend would be an important way to establish credibility for LIV Golf.

"[Smith's] probably right," Mickelson told Schlabach. "It would be nice to validate the amount of talent that is over there on LIV, and I think a lot of guys are playing really well heading in. So I think it will be fun to watch."

This is looking like the best tournament of the year so far for Mickelson, who has finished in 27th place or lower in three 2023 LIV Golf events.

Round 3 of the Masters begins on Saturday at 10 a.m.