Phil Mickelson's first round of the Masters golf tournament concluded around 7 p.m., and fans of the defending champion will be content with a solid 2-under par, 70, that he posted at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, GA. Mickelson sits five shots behind tournament leader Rory McIlroy, who posted a 7-under, 65, and a shot ahead of Tiger Woods, who carded a 1-under, 71.
Mickelson, who finished the front nine at 1-under par, used a birdie on No. 14 and a birdie on No. 15 to move to 3-under par, but finished with a bogey on No. 18. Lefty sprayed the ball around a bit hitting just four of 13 fairways, but manage to put together a round that keeps him in decent position on the Masters leaderboard.
On Friday, Mickelson's Round 2 tee time is schedule for 10:30 a.m., which is well before ESPN's coverage that begins at 3 p.m.. If you'd like to catch Mickelson's round check out Masters.com, which has full coverage of Amen Corner and holes No. 15 and 16 starting at 10:45 p.m. (Click here for complete rundown of the Masters 2011 TV schedule.)
For more information on the Masters Golf Tournament 2011 check out SB Nation's golf blog Waggle Room; or SB Nation Atlanta's Masters Storystream; and SB Nation's pro golf hub.