Phil Mickelson goes from contention to Masters cut line

Phil Mickelson began the second round of the Masters Tournament near the top of the leaderboard. He ended it on the cut line.

The three-time Masters champion shot 39 on the front nine, which included a triple-bogey 7 on No. 9, and 40 on the back nine Friday to finish 36 holes at 5-over-par 149 after opening with 2-under 70.

"It was a rough day. I thought the course played great. I thought the conditions were challenging, but I thought everything about it was a good, fair test," Mickelson said. "It's disappointing. It's my favorite tournament of the year."

It is the second 79 Mickelson has shot in the second round of the Masters in the past three years. He shot 72-79 in 2016 after tying for second place in 2015. Mickelson tied for 22nd a year ago.

He began Friday tied for 11th place and was even on his round and 2-under for the tournament before recording the triple bogey on No. 9 after his ball hit a tree and went into the bushes.

PHOTOS: Second round at the Masters Tournament

"There was plenty of gap, I just pushed it trying to run a 2-iron down there in front of the green and get up-and-down, salvage par," Mickelson said. "I just thought it wasn't a hard par, I didn't think, if I chased one down by the green. But I pushed it into the trees and it went in the bushes and made triple."

Mickelson got a stroke back with a birdie on No. 10, but followed that with a bogey on No. 11 for the second day in a row and a double bogey on No. 12.

"Poor execution," Mickelson said of his shot on 12. "I'm trying to hit a little cut in there and if anything, if I cut it and miss it left of the hole, it's going to be a little bit short and be fine. And I just pulled it. Same thing, same exact shot on 11."

Mickelson also bogeyed Nos. 16 and 18.

"It's difficult because you keep fighting," he said. "You keep thinking, gosh, if I get a birdie here or get one more back or fight in there, and then I just kept making bogeys."

Mickelson entered the tournament brimming with confidence while looking to become the oldest champion in Masters history at age 47. He won the WGC-Mexico Championship in March and has four other top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season.

"Yeah, it's disappointing. There's a fine line between wanting it so bad and then also letting it kind of happen," he said. "As you get older you feel a little bit more pressure each one because you don't feel as though you have (an) unlimited number of events. So given how well I was playing heading into this, I certainly put a lot of pressure on myself to perform this week and get it because I know the opportunities here are lessening. I thought this year was a great year, a great opportunity."