Phil Mickelson fell 38 spots into tie for 52nd place following a second round 74 at the FedEx Cup opener, The Barclays on Friday. The up-and-down round that included four bogeys, a double-bogey, and three birdies put the former ASU Sun Devil eight shots behind leaders Nick Watney and Sergio Garcia.
Also of note was former world No. 1 Tiger Woods, who was in obvious discomfort as he walked around gingerly with a lower back injury throughout the day and grimaced in pain after several tee shots.
But he managed a 2-under 69 on the par 71 Black Course at Bethpage State Park that included two bogeys and four birdies on the day and is just three shots back of the lead.
Woods' playing partner, world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, didn't fare as well and struggled to a 2-over 73 on the day. He would finish at even par through two rounds, narrowly making the cut, which was at +1.
Woods, the former world No. 1 and current world No. 3, battled the injury throughout the day, but managed to fight through it enough to remain within striking distance of the leaders.
Mickelson will tee off at 8:55 a.m.. ET and will be paired with World No. 2, Englishman Luke Donald during Saturday's third round.
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