By Dwight Foxx
Staff Writer
Augusta Chronicle

Phil Mickelson was worried that he was going to make a bad day worse when he drove the ball into the woods off the 18th tee.

But he was able to recover with a Houdini birdie on the par-4 hole and finished Friday with a 1-over-par 73 and a 6-under-par total after two rounds, good enough for a third-place tie with David Frost, six behind leader Greg Norman.

``Yeah, that was a very fortunate break,'' Mickelson said of the finish. ``It could have been a lot worse. I was looking at bogey. I fought hard all round. I was 2-over (74) and I wasn't happy with that score. I was able to save it - really two shots, possibly. I could have put it in either bunker and had a very difficult par.''

But instead he knocked the ball between the bunker and used the slope to get the ball by the hole and birdied.

``It was nice,'' said Mickelson of his play on the hole.

Mickelson, a four-time All-American at Arizona State, spent some time after his round on the driving range. He said he felt he drove the ball pretty good with the exception of four holes - Nos. 1, 2, 9 and 10. He bogeyed the first two holes on the front nine and the first hole, No. 10, on the back.

He saved par on No. 9 with a 15-foot putt. The 25-year-old believes those four holes cost him four shots.

``When I did hit a poor drive it cost me,'' Mickelson said. ``Actually, I didn't hit a bad drive on 1 but I put it in the trees and made bogey. I had a poor drive on 2 and made bogey. Whereas if I had had a good drive, I possibly could have birdied the hole.''

Norman, who set a tournament record with his fifth consecutive round at the Masters under 70, was impressed with how Mickelson was able to keep himself in contention.

``He kept it together coming in,'' Norman said.

Norman doesn't believe that Nick Faldo, currently in second place, or David Frost and Mickelson, tied for third, are going to cave in at this point. He expects them to be among the leaders on Sunday. Mickelson expects himself to be there, too.

Mickelson finished in a tie for seventh at last year's Masters. This is the fourth time he has played at the Augusta National Golf Club. He played as an amateur in 1991 and made his pro debut in 1993. He made the cut both times.

``I feel like I put myself in a position where I want to be after the first two rounds,'' the San Diego native said.