The PGA Championship is the last chance for major championship glory on the 2011 calendar and the pride of Arizona State golf Phil Mickelson has positioned himself decently after the first round at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Lefty shot a steady 1-over 71 in round one, but leaves him a full eight strokes behind leader Steve Stricker after his impressive 7-under 63.
Phil made sure to take advantage of the two par-5's with birdies on the 5th and 12th, but couldn't get anything else going the rest of the round. He dropped back-to-back shots on the 9th and 10th, then again on the 18th, ensuring him a black number on the leaderboard and a tie for 58th place overall. Phil is looking for his second PGA Tour victory this year after winning the Shell Houston Open earlier this year, and his second career PGA Championship victory alongside his 2005 win at Baltusrol.
Full Leaderboard can be found here.
Stay tuned for 2011 PGA Championship updates, and head to Waggle Room and SB Nation's golf hub for more on the PGA Tour.