Phil Mickelson at US Open 2015: Friday Leaderboard Score and Twitter Reaction

After the first round, Phil Mickelson looked like he could potentially challenge for his first U.S. Open title. Fast-forward to Friday, and Mickelson's chances of success dwindled exponentially after he shot a four-over 74 in the second round. 

The 45-year-old is at three over for the tournament, which put him in a tie for 36th place as he headed to the clubhouse. You can view an up-to-date leaderboard below:

In the first round, Mickelson wasn't particularly great off the tee but recovered well with his approach play and work on the green. According to USOpen.com, he hit nine out of 14 fairways and 14 out of 18 greens. His 1.72 average putts per hole were also slightly better than the tournament average.

"No complaints," Mickelson said after his round yesterday, per Christine Brennan of USA Today. "I played well. I had a really nice round going and then bogeyed 13 and 14. But I'm under par in the first round of the U.S. Open. I'm very pleased."

His positivity likely didn't last long Friday.

Mickelson began his day with a bogey on No. 10. Then, after picking up pars on Nos. 11, 12 and 13, he bogeyed 14. He closed out the front nine with yet another bogey, which Golf Channel's Ryan Burr saw as the moment "Lefty" ceased being a serious title contender this year:

Burr's assessment looks to be accurate, as Mickelson failed to gain many strokes on the back nine. Back-to-back bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes plunged him even further down the leaderboard.

Gregg Bell of the News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington, tweeted out that Mickelson's dissatisfaction with his missed par putt on No. 6 was loud enough for those around to hear:

Following his second bogey, the prospect of Mickelson missing the cut altogether became a very real threat. He had two more holes left in his round and only one stroke separating himself from the golfers likely missing out on this weekend's action.

World Soccer Talk's Kartik Krishnaiyer lamented how much the ratings would've potentially fallen for the last two rounds if three of the sport's biggest stars were cut:

A birdie on 17, as Golf Central noted, eased some of the pressure on Mickelson and pretty much averted any remaining danger:

Although Mickelson's second round didn't exactly go according to plan, he's one good Saturday away from turning his U.S. Open fortunes around.

The course conditions are giving a lot of guys problems. ESPN's Jason Sobel doesn't foresee the tournament returning to Chambers Bay at any point in the future:

As a result of the difficult conditions, single-round scores will likely be somewhat close to par for the remainder of the U.S. Open, even with optimal weather.

Somebody—Mickelson or otherwise—could potentially capitalize on that with a spectacular showing in Round 3.

Crazier things have happened, especially for Lefty. Few considered him a viable contender after three rounds in the 2013 Open Championship. Then, he shot a five-under 66 in the final round and captured the title.

Maybe he can recreate that magic in Washington.