Phil Mickelson at British Open 2015: Thursday Leaderboard Score and Reaction

Phil Mickelson’s quest to add a second Claret Jug to his decorated haul of honours got off to a solid start, as the amiable American shot a two-under 70 on Day 1 of the British Open in Scotland.

The 45-year-old started serenely with three birdies in the opening five holes at St Andrews, but dropped shots at the sixth and eighth sapped momentum from his round. He moved back to two-under with a birdie at the 10th hole before settling down and notching six consecutive pars.

The infamous Road Hole then cost Mickelson a shot at No. 17, but he bounced back in style to birdie the last.

Here’s a look at his card for the day:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total
Par	4	4	4	4	5	4	4	3	4
Score	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	4	4
Par	4	3	4	4	5	4	4	4	4	72
Score	3	3	4	4	5	4	4	5	3	70

It’s a round that leaves the 2013 Open champion five shots behind early leader Dustin Johnson, who made the most of the preferable early conditions to post a seven-under 65 at the Old Course.

Here’s a look at the live leaderboard:

Steady Start for Mickelson

Jon Super/Associated Press

Although Mickelson produced a stunning finish to win this championship at Muirfield two years ago, the British Open doesn’t typically suit his flamboyant brand of golf.

Indeed, as we can see here, courtesy of ESPN Stats and Info, since his previous Open win, the man known as Lefty has struggled to scale the levels he’s capable of:

After some superb scoring from the early groups, the players going out later in the day had to negotiate some tougher conditions, and naturally, the birdies weren't quite as free-flowing. But Mickelson made the most of what was left of the placid early-afternoon atmosphere with a blistering beginning.

Jon Super/Associated Press

An enormous tee shot at the second hole allowed the American to float in a lovely approach, and he rattled in the birdie putt emphatically. Buoyed by that early move, Mickelson followed with a solid par at the third hole. He then picked up back-to-back shots at the fourth and fifth.

It was a brilliant start for the left-hander, as noted by the KPMG Mickelson Twitter account:

But frustratingly for Mickelson, things unravelled ahead of the turn. At hole No. 6 he found trouble off the tee and dropped a shot, while just a couple of holes later, he was putting to save par once again. But even Lefty’s revered skills on the greens couldn't pull him out of trouble, and he bogeyed the hole before notching a par at No. 9.

Jon Super/Associated Press

It gave Mickelson a score of 35 for the front nine, and while he was still one under, as we can see courtesy of the European Tour Twitter account, most players were finding things even tougher on the back nine:

However, the American recomposed himself and picked up a shot at the 10th. Then a good chance to go back to three under at No. 11 went begging.

Jon Super/Associated Press/Associated Press

Even with impetus back in Mickelson's game, playing St Andrews’ final stretch of holes can be a chastening experience for any golfer. That's still the case for someone with experience comparable to Lefty's, too. So Mickelson had to dig deep to rescue pars on Nos. 13 and 16, which bookended solid holds at Nos. 14 and 15.

Mickelson was clearly delighted to get through a tough stretch of holes with his scorecard still bogey-free on the back nine, per the KPMG Mickelson Twitter account:

There were still challenges to come, though. After all, the 17th—the notorious Road Hole—is the most difficult on the golf course, with just 26 of the first 125 players attempting it finding the green on Day 1, according to the European Tour Twitter account.

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

Sadly, it proved too tough for Mickelson, too, as he blemished his card for the first time on the run to home with a bogey. But his response was emphatic at the last, knocking in a birdie putt to get in the clubhouse at two under, per the Golf Channel:

Mickelson treated us to some of his synonymous magic on Thursday, and the fist-pumps scattered throughout his round suggest the American is enjoying his time out on course. Unfortunately, the conditions scuppered any chances the veteran had of getting among the early leaders, although Lefty is not out of things by any means.

Indeed, he thinks there will be plenty of birdie opportunities in the second round, although he admitted things were tough on Day 1, per the KPMG Mickelson Twitter account and the PGA TOUR feed:

As the man himself notes, Mickelson looks to have drawn the short straw in terms of timings. He’ll be going out early on Friday, and according to BBC Weather, heavy rain is expected to engulf the Old Course in the morning, with things clearing up again in the afternoon.

For the 2013 champion, clinging on with a determined score on Day 2 and making a move over the weekend seems his best path to the Claret Jug again. It's certainly not something you would put past him.