The adventures of Lefty, Part II:

I followed Phil Mickelson on the back nine, and I gotta give him credit. He grinded hard for his 4-under, bogey-free 68, which included eight pars in a row from Nos. 9-16.

And he couldn’t buy a birdie in that stretch, otherwise he shoots at least three shots lower.

Mickelson has been bombing his tee shots, hitting 12 of 14 fairways Friday. He only missed three greens. But he couldn’t take advantage of two crucial scoring chances after going for the green on his second shots at the par-5 13th and 15th holes.

He pulled his shot and nearly hit it in Rae’s Creek at No. 13. Somehow, the ball stayed dry, but he was pin high, about 40 feet from the hole and a sidehill stance. He did great to make par.

You should have heard the patrons murmur on No. 15 when Lefty again pulled his approach. This one flew 20 yards over the green next to the stands. He made an incredible chip to 4 feet, but missed the birdie putt.

“I just overplayed the break,” he said. “I thought I had putted great today and I had made so many good par putts. That one left a bad taste.”

At No. 16, he knocked his tee shot to 10 feet, but the putt curled around the lip of the cup. Finally, his patience was rewarded when he made a 25-footer at No. 17.

“I would rather be leading,” Mickelson said. “I would like to have some shots in hand. But I’ve been playing well, and I’m only a couple shots off the lead.”

The cheers were starting to build, too, for Mickelson, who’s gunning for a third Masters title in five years.

Prior to the Masters, he had said that one of the reasons he loves this tournament is that you don’t have to be perfect with every shot. Lefty embodied that Friday

Indeed, Mickelson might just be warming up. And with Tiger Woods stuck in neutral, could this again be Mickelson’s year?