Phil Mickelson: Bold Predictions for Lefty's US Open Finish
The first two rounds of play at the 2012 US Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco have been an absolute nightmare for American Phil Mickelson.
Still, don't count Lefty just yet.
Mickelson, who has never won but instead finished second or tied for second on five different occasions at the US Open, is tied for 51st after shooting +7 through the tournament's first 36 holes. The only real good news for Lefty is that he made the cut and is just eight strokes back of the leaders.
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Tiger Woods, David Toms and Jim Furyk finished the second round on Friday 1-under, all tied for the lead at Olympic.
Despite Lefty's struggles, if these bold predictions come true the leaders should be wary of him this Father's Day weekend.
Lefty Will Settle Down on Saturday
Mickelson is improving on what has turned out to be a brutal course through the early rounds. Lefty shot a 6-over 76 on Thursday, but recovered nicely with a 1-over 71 on Friday. If the trend continues for Mickelson he could make up ground on the leaders, who are sure to suffer their fair share of stumbles when third-round action tees off.
Mickelson bogeyed seven holes in the opening round but only three on Friday. Lefty is settling down it seems and that bodes well for his 2012 US Open chances this weekend.
Lefty Will Challenge the Leaders on Sunday
Evidenced by Michael Thompson's impressive 4-under 66 on Thursday, although Olympic is playing tough, it can be tamed. Mickelson will need to clean up his game a lot and not only eliminate the bogeys but pick up the birdies if he is to shoot a 66, but with 36 holes still left to be played he can make up the deficit at his own pace.
Mickelson is only four strokes out from ninth place heading into Saturday, and if and when he's within striking range the pressure will be off knowing that he's playing with house money after shooting a 76 to open the tournament.
Don't expect Lefty to come all the way back in the final round on Sunday to win, but expect him to challenge and actually matter in the waning holes of the 2012 US Open at Olympic.
US Open 2012 Leaderboard After Two Rounds (courtesy of ESPN.com):
| Player | Score | Thru |
| T1. David Toms | -1 | F |
| T1. Jim Furyk | -1 | F |
| T1. Tiger Woods | -1 | F |
| T4. Michael Thompson | +1 | F |
| T4. Graeme McDowell | +1 | F |
| T4. Nicolas Colsaerts | +1 | F |
| T4. John Peterson | +1 | F |
| 8. Blake Adams | +2 | F |
| T9. Fredrik Jacobson | +3 | F |
| T9. Charl Schwartzel | +3 | F |
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