Phil Mickelson shared a laugh with his caddie Jim 'Bones' McKay during the first round in Augusta. (Redington/Getty Images)

Phil Mickelson opened the 2008 Masters with a 1-under-par 71, but he wasn't complaining. He started the day with a birdie at the first hole that, he said, would have made short-game guru Dave Pelz proud.

The man with the magic wedge chipped in from nowhere. His approach went over the green, and he had to go over a well-worn area then up to the back to the green. It hit, released and hit the pin -- for birdie.

"I don't think it was going to stay on that top shelf,'' he said. "That was probably a two?shot swing right there. Yeah, it was at least a two?shot swing, possibly three.

"It hopped a little bit, but it tracked nicely. Pelz would have been proud I left the pin in."

Mickelson did get it to 2-under after a birdie at the 13th hole but gave it right back with a bogey at No. 14.Then parred in.

He said he still has work to do with his putter, which was what held him back last week at the Shell Houston Open.

"Yeah, I probably could have been quite a bit lower had I made anything.'' he said. "But I'll get the speed dialed in. My speed was off quite a bit. I was hitting it well long and leaving good putts that I had to be aggressive on. I was leaving those short. I'll have to get the speed a little bit better."