Phil Mickelson at Masters 2015: Daily Scores, Leaderboard Standing and Reaction

The Masters is a special event for many golfers, but few seem to have a relationship with it like Phil Mickelson. Augusta was the site of his first major triumph in 2004 after years of heartbreak and the only major he's won more than once.  

Expectations are understandably lower for Lefty right now. He hasn't finished inside the top 10 in seven PGA Tour events this season, with his best finish being 17th at the Honda Classic and Shell Houston Open. Yet don't sell short a veteran with a long history of success at Augusta. 

Here's a look at Mickelson's scores at the Masters as well as reaction to his performance after each round this weekend, as he finishes 14-under. 

Leaderboard

Sunday Recap

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Mickelson's quest to make one final run on Sunday at Augusta fell short, though, odds were against him from the beginning. Lefty ended the Masters tied with Justin Rose for second place after a final-round 69 to finish 14 under overall, four shots behind Jordan Spieth. 

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	In
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	4	4	4	3	5	3	4	4	5	36
Total	-11	-12	-12	-12	-11	-11	-11	-12	-11	-11
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Out
Par	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	4	36
Score	3	4	3	4	5	3	3	4	4	33
Total	-12	-12	-12	-13	-12	-14	-14	-14	-14	-14

Coming into the day, Mickelson said he was going to try playing more aggressive than usual. Per Will Brinson of CBS Sports, Lefty actually used his attire as a way to help him get in the right mindset:

"

I like to wear dark colors on Sunday. I've won three times wearing a black shirt so I'll wear a black shirt tomorrow. It also helps me get more aggressive. Studies have shown, like NFL teams, when they wear black they have more penalties, it just gets you to play more aggressive. And that's what I need to do tomorrow is play more aggressive.

"

There are often shots in a round that Mickelson will get criticized or praised for, depending on the outcome. Ian O'Connor of ESPN summed up one of those ridiculous shots attempted on the seventh hole in the best way possible:

Mickelson did save par on the seventh hole, so his risk at that point wasn't costly. There was just too much of a mountain to climb and not enough time to do it. He did try, with one of Sunday's best moments being his eagle from the bunker on No. 15 to pull within four shots of Spieth. 

Shane Bacon of Yahoo Sports was so encouraged by what he saw from Mickelson, he's expecting Lefty to win another Masters around the time he's able to apply for an AARP card:

Being a bridesmaid is nothing new for Mickelson, who has now done it 10 times at majors in his career, per Dan Jenkins of Golf Digest:

As impressive as Mickelson's history of finishing second in the four biggest events on the PGA Tour calendar, he's got a long way to go to tie the record of 19 held by Jack Nicklaus. 

It was a great weekend for Mickelson overall. He hadn't been playing great coming into Augusta, having finished outside the top 15 in all eight events he's played this season. Finishing tied for second in a year with the winner tying the record-low score is commendable. 

Mickelson can use this performance as a springboard for future events. The U.S. Open is just 67 days away and remains the only major he has yet to win. A career Grand Slam would be a nice way to salvage the heartache of playing so well at Augusta only for it to be not quite good enough. 

Saturday Recap

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

It was another great day for Mickelson at the Masters, as he shot a five-under 67 to move into second place. He's still got a long way to go before catching Jordan Spieth, but there's no shame in being a runner-up with 18 holes left to play. 

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	In
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	4	4	3	2	4	3	4	5	3	32
Total	-6	-7	-8	-9	-9	-9	-9	-9	-10	-10
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Out
Par	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	4	36
Score	4	5	3	4	4	4	2	5	4	35
Total	-10	-9	-9	-10	-10	-11	-12	-11	-11	-11

Mickelson got off to a roaring start with three consecutive birdies on holes two through four and closed out the front nine with another birdie to make the turn at 32. 

After the second round, Mickelson was clear about what would need to happen for anyone to give Spieth a challenge, via Alex Myers of Golf Digest:

"

'I think for us to catch him, we're going to have to get a little fire in the golf course,' Mickelson said. 'But for that to happen, the rains have to hold off.'

...

"

"

'Certainly, the firm conditions make angles important, past knowledge important, but there's no fire in the golf course right now.' 

"

Despite not having any fires to work with on Saturday, Mickelson did keep pace and has put himself in the mix for another green jacket. That's incredible given how far ahead Spieth was after each of the first two rounds and how easy he was making things look. 

The 16th hole showed just how locked in Mickelson is right now, as Rex Hoggard noted Lefty drained a long birdie putt:

ESPN's Jason Sobel found the only bad part of Mickelson's miraculous birdie putt:

When trying to catch someone as far ahead as Spieth was, catching breaks is essential. Mickelson got one on that birdie putt and has done a masterful job avoiding mistakes over the last 36 holes. He did give a shot back on 17 with a bogey. 

This run has also put Mickelson in a position to play with Spieth in the final group, so he will know exactly what is required to win. ESPN's Bob Harig pointed out how important that can end up being:

That bogey on No. 17 did change Mickelson's round and possible spot on Sunday, as he moved into a tie with Justin Rose at 11 under par. 

Mickelson's climb has been valiant and he is in as good a position to make a move as anyone if Spieth finds a banana peel on Sunday. Even if it doesn't happen, there's something refreshing about seeing Lefty get his groove back at Augusta. 

The tank may not be as full as it was in his prime, but Mickelson is still capable of dazzling in the biggest events. He's got 18 holes left to make something crazy happen. 

 

Friday Recap

Mickelson had another solid performance in the second round of this year's Masters with a four-under 68. He's not in the mix for another green jacket because Jordan Spieth is on a ridiculous run, but Lefty is hanging around the top 10 and will play the weekend after missing the cut last year. 

One area Mickelson put together a good effort on Friday was the par fives. He had five birdies on the day, with three coming on the par-five holes. His back-nine showing was terrific with four birdies from No. 11 through 17, putting him in sixth place, per PGA Tour: 

To put things in perspective, Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel used levity to explain Mickelson's situation after Friday:

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Per Brian Wacker of PGA Tour, Mickelson's ascent up the leaderboard was a gradual one that puts him in "primetime" position on Saturday:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	In
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Out
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	4	5	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	36
Total	-2	-2	-2	-1	-1	-1	-1	-2	-2	36
Par	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	4	36
Score	4	3	3	4	4	4	3	3	4	36
Total	-2	-3	-3	-4	-4	-5	-5	-6	-6	32

There was hope after the first round, in which Mickelson shot two-under par and was six shots behind Spieth, that a run up the leaderboard could be in the cards. He felt confident based on these comments to reporters, via Nancy Armour of USA Today:

"If I continue to hit the ball like this I'll have a number of opportunities," Mickelson said. "But, eventually, you have to get hot on the greens. And over 72 holes you're going to have your ups and downs on the greens. It's not far off."

Friday provided some of the good and bad in Mickelson's game. He did bounce back from an early bogey on No. 4 to finish on a hot streak and carry his momentum from the first two rounds into Saturday. 

The interesting thing is Mickelson's run has really come out of nowhere. He's struggled in tournaments this year with no top-10 finishes. His last event before the Masters was the Shell Houston Open, in which he fired 75 and 71 in the final two rounds. 

That's the beauty of Mickelson on the course. He's never been the most consistent player, but few can claim to be better when his swing is working. Lefty found it, on the back nine showing tremendous accuracy with his irons and masterful putting. 

Thursday Recap

Based on the first returns, Mickelson is in an early groove at the Masters. He's walked off the course in a tie for 10th place after 18 holes, which is a huge step forward for Lefty based on recent results. 

"

Phil Mickelson is within one shot of being within 7 shots of Jordan Spieth. This could get good.

— Kelly Tilghman (@KellyTilghmanGC) April 10, 2015"

Mickelson did say before the Masters that he thought his swing was getting to a point where good things were going to happen, via Reuters (h/t Andrew Both of The Star):

"

I really thought I would start the year out on fire and it couldn't have been further from that. 

But I'm excited with where I see my game is going. You have got to take baby steps (and) the first step for me was getting my aggressive style back, getting my focus back to make birdies, and that mental intensity that's needed.

"

The scorecard is about what you would expect for Mickelson, especially on the front nine, as Jason Sobel of ESPN noted:

There's always going to be an erratic element in Mickelson's game, but at least for one day he was able to settle down on the back nine. He's put himself in position to contend after 18 holes. 

Yet the big bright spot on that scorecard is an eagle on the eighth hole. Justin Ray of the Golf Channel pointed out it's been a long time since Mickelson has done that at Augusta:

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Speaking of 1995, that was the first year Mickelson finished in the top 10 at the Masters. He finished six shots behind Ben Crenshaw that season, so he's certainly hoping that history doesn't exactly repeat itself. 

Per the PGA Tour, Mickelson's eagle came thanks to a terrific second shot that set up a gimme putt he was able to convert:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	In
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Out
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	4	4	3	3	4	4	5	3	4	34
Total	E	-1	-2	-2	-2	-1	E	-2	-2	-2
Par	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	4	36
Score	4	4	3	5	4	4	3	5	4	36
Total	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2	-3	-3	-2	-2	-2

After the eagle, Mickelson just took a conservative approach to avoid making a mistake that would knock him down. It's a good tactic for the 44-year-old, whose ego and desire to try something crazy tends to get him in trouble. 

Mickelson would gain another stroke on the par-five 15th hole with a birdie. He had a chance to do more with a birdie putt on No. 16 but had to settle for par. That wouldn't be the end of the bad vibes, as Lefty would hit a bogey on the 17th hole to push his score back to two under par. 

Matt Barrie of ESPN summed up Mickelson's day perfectly:

It's certainly not the way Mickelson wanted to end what had been a strong day up until those final holes, but he's under par and still able to see the leaders in front of him. Given where Mickelson's game has been the last few weeks, this is a sign of progress. 

This wasn't a perfect round, as Mickelson did leave a few shots on the course, so he's got plenty to work on. Knowing that he's likely to make the cut—barring a collapse on Friday—has to ease some of the pressure. Now, he just has to focus on avoiding some of those little mistakes to move up the leaderboard.