British Open 2016: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Thursday

Phil Mickelson was centimeters from history.

The veteran golfer roared to the top of the leaderboard at the 2016 British Open on Thursday, shooting an impressive eight-under 63 at Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland. So good was Mickelson on the day that he nearly became the first man to shoot a 62 in a round at one of golf's majors.  

Mickelson had an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a chance at the record, but his attempt lipped out, leaving him tantalizingly short of making history.

The PGA Tour shared the moment:

His caddie was just as distraught, via The Open:

On a day when Mickelson shot eight birdies and didn't bogey a single hole, it might be easy to focus on the one birdie he missed. But the 46-year-old was nothing short of brilliant on Thursday, racing out to a three-hole lead over Patrick Reed and Martin Kaymer.

The full leaderboard can be found below.

Afterward, Mickelson spoke about his epic round and his fateful miss on No. 18, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com:

"

It was one of the best rounds that I've played. I mean, nothing will match that final round at Muirfield, but it was one of the best rounds I've ever played and I was able to take advantage of these conditions, and yet I want to shed a tear right now. That putt on 18 was an opportunity to do something historical. I knew it, and with a foot to go I thought I had done it. I saw that ball rolling right in the center. I went to go get it, I had that surge of adrenaline that I had just shot 62, and then I had the heartbreak that I didn't and watched that ball lip out. It was, wow, that stings.

It really stings to have a chance. It's such a rare opportunity to do something historic like that and... if I had just hit a weak flail-off and never had a chance and left it short, so be it. But this ball was hunting right in the center and didn't go. It was just heartbreaking.

"

Mickelson was splendid on the day, with birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 6 and 8 on the front nine. Approach shots like the following one certainly helped:

He remained red-hot, with a birdie on No. 10 before this lovely putt on No. 14:

From there, he birdied Nos. 16 and 17 before his tragic miss on the final hole. 

Even longtime golf writer Dan Jenkins was rooting for him:

But it wasn't to be.

Holding on to his lead won't be easy either. Reed and Kaymer are both dangerous just three strokes back, while eight players are four strokes behind, including American Zach Johnson.

Reed had one of the more impressive shots on the day with this eagle at No. 3:

The game's elite tier of players had their struggles on Thursday, meanwhile.

Rory McIlroy had an up-and-down day, shooting two under with five birdies but having a rough stretch at Nos. 13 and 14, where he posted a double bogey and a bogey, respectively. Rickie Fowler and Adam Scott also finished at two under for the day.

Bubba Watson looked like he was going to post a Mickelson-esque number on the day after birdies on five of the first six holes. But a triple bogey on No. 8 and bogeys on Nos. 10, 11 and 17 marred a round that was brilliant at times, as he finished with seven birdies as well. He ultimately settled for a one-under on the day.

Jordan Spieth played inconsistently as well, finishing even after three birdies and three bogeys. Dustin Johnson also finished even, while Jason Day finds himself well behind the leaders at two over par after four bogeys and just two birdies on Thursday.

That doesn't bode well for any of their chances to win this year's tournament, as Justin Ray of the Golf Channel noted:

Anything can happen at The Open Championship, especially when the weather starts to play a factor. But Spieth and Day have quite the uphill climb on their hands after disappointing first rounds.

While the game's elite struggled, a few other players provided some memorable and splendid shots. None was better than Louis Oosthuizen's ace on No. 14:

Of course, Colin Montgomerie's fantastic putt on No. 13 to save par came close:

And Luke Donald impressed with this putt as well:

But the day belonged to Mickelson. While there are three more rounds and plenty of contenders between him and a repeat of his 2013 Open Championship conquest, Mickelson reminded the field that on his best day, he's still a superb golfer.

And nearly historically so on Thursday.

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