AUGUSTA, Ga. – When Phil Mickelson walked off the golf course on a Chamber of Commerce Saturday he was leading exactly two players – 14-year-old Chinese amateur Tianlang Guan and Keegan Bradley.
Not exactly where the three-time Masters champion thought he’d be after 54 holes, but Lefty had no interest in sugar-coating things.
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“I just played terrible,” said Mickelson, who carded a watery 77 and is tied for 58th at 8 over par. “There’s no way around it. I’m just not hitting very good golf shots, missing it in bad spots and not really knowing which side I’m going to miss it on. My play was beyond terrible.”
Mickelson, who matched his record high round at Augusta National on Saturday, said the issue has been his iron play, which led to double bogeys at the 11th and 12th holes after hitting into water hazards.
For the week, Mickelson has hit just 34 of 54 greens in regulation. As a result, he is on pace for his worst Masters finish since he missed the cut in 1997.