Phil Mickelson overcame an inconsistent start to finish the second round of the 2011 Masters Tournament with an even 72 on the day. Mickelson sits at 20th overall, tied with nine other golfers at -2 overall over the first two days.
Lefty made four birdies and four bogeys over the first eleven holes, and then evened out his performance by making par on the remaining holes. The real question for Mickelson: will he be able to catch up to red-hot Rory McIlroy?
McIlroy currently holds down first place on the leaderboard with a -10 over two days. The 21-year old has only bogeyed once and has a two stroke lead over the closest challenger, Jason Day.
Mickelson is confident that he can return to form during the weekend rounds and win the Masters. His confidence level is quite surprising, actually. From a USA Today article:
Yes, he's been impressed with the play of McIlroy.
"He's a great player," Mickelson said, "It's no surprise at all. He hits the ball long. I expect him to play well on this golf course throughout his career."
But, he added, "There's a lot of golf left in this tournament, and I'm going to be making a run at him and the other guys ahead of me here on Saturday."
Where does he get the confidence to make a declaration like that?
"Three green jackets? I don't know," said Mickelson, drawing some laughs.
The tee times for tomorrow have yet to be released, but will be available at 6:00 P.M. Pacific time tonight. The Masters will be broadcast on CBS from here on out.