Despite struggling start, Mickelson remains optimistic

A 4-over 76 Thursday was definitely not the way Phil Mickelson wanted to begin his title defense. But Mickelson believes he saved his round with a pair of late birdies and can play his way back into contention by putting better on Friday.

By T.J. Auclair, PGATOUR.com Interactive Producer

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It wasn't exactly the way the defending Masters champ wanted to start out, but in the end Phil Mickelson's opening round of 4-over-par 76 could have been worse were it not for a late rally that left him optimistic.

Standing at 6-over par for the day through 14 holes, Mickelson managed to drop a short 4 1/2-footer for birdie at No. 15 -- after missing three little ones in his front-nine of 4-over 40 -- and backed it up by holing a 30-footer for birdie at No. 16 and a 15-footer for par at No. 17.

"I would probably say that, yes," those two late birdies saved the round, Mickelson said. "The goal was to shoot under par from when I was 5 over and I was able to do that, so I accomplished a mini-goal, if you will. Now I've got to get back tomorrow to play some good, solid golf and shoot a 68, or better. I'd love to shoot better. But a 68 would get me back to even par and back into this golf tournament going into the weekend."

Mickelson, a two-time Masters champion, got off to a rough start when he missed the first fairway to the left, forcing him to punch out and eventually miss a 10-footer for par. A double bogey at the par-4 fifth, followed by bogeys on Nos. 6 and 7 made matters worse for Lefty, as he found himself at 5 over through the first seven holes.

"I was 5 over through seven and missed a bunch of short, little putts out there," he said. "But as I was walking up eight, I said, 'Look, if I play under par from here on out I can stay in it. I just don't want to shoot myself out the first day.' I don?t feel as though I've done that even though I played no where near the way I was capable of playing. Even par is going to be in the hunt tomorrow. If I get out there and just shoot a solid round of 68 I should get right back in it."

With cool but sunny conditions, Augusta National is playing just the way the Masters Tournament committee wants it -- firm and fast. Mickelson said that despite the conditions, there were plenty of "birdie-able" holes. As is always the case, putting was at a premium in the first round and that's where he struggled most.

"You've got to make the short ones," he said. "If I had made the short ones, I would have been at even par with a good, solid round. But tomorrow, again, my goal is I've got to go out there and shoot in the 60s and I can get right back in it. I've putted these greens very well in the past, but today wasn't one of those days."

Mickelson's 76 on Thursday was his first opening-round score over par since he shot 1-over 73 in the 2003 Masters, where he finished alone in third and just two shots out of a playoff. He has not finished outside of the top-10 at Augusta since 1998 when he tied for 12th.