Mickelson’s worst Augusta round frustrating with time running out

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson knows his clock is ticking, and that’s what makes these past two days at the Masters so disappointing to him.

Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner, was bubbling with confidence when he entered the week after his win in Mexico, his first victory since 2013, and was putting as well as he has in his career. Yet he shot a 7over 79 Friday to make the cut on the number at 5-over. The 79 was the highest score Mickelson, 47, has ever carded in his 96 career Masters rounds.

“It’s disappointing,’’ Mickelson said. “There’s a fine line between wanting it so bad and then also letting it kind of happen. As you get older, you feel a little bit more pressure each one because you don’t feel as though you have unlimited number of events.

“So, given how well I was playing head- ing into this, I certainly put a lot of pressure on myself to perform this week and get it, because I know the opportunities are lessening here and especially given as well as I’ve been playing, I thought this was a great year, a great opportunity.’’

It seemed like one minute Mickelson was in contention near the top of the leaderboard and the next minute he was scrambling to merely make the cut.

“It was a rough day,’’ Mickelson said. “I thought the conditions were challenging, but I thought everything about it was a good fair test. You play well you can shoot under par and I don’t know what’s happened the last couple of days. It’s a little disappointing, because I’ve been playing so well this year. To play like this … it’s disappointing. It is my favorite tournament of the year and it’s a rough couple of days.’’

Mickelson, with a birdie on No. 2, got to 3-under for the tournament and was just a couple shots off the lead. He played the next 16 holes in 8-over, lowlighted by a

triple-bogey 7 on the ninth hole.

One day after he was the story of the opening round, shooting a 4-under 68 on a left ankle he had dislocated 24 hours earlier, Tony Finau kept himself in contention Friday with a 74.

Finau said his high ankle sprain felt “a lot better than it did’’ Thursday.

“So we’re trending in the right direction,’’ he said. “I was able to transfer my weight a little bit better today than yesterday.’’

Finau was boosted by a birdie on 18 to close out his round Friday.

Doug Ghim was the low amateur, at 4over, and the only amateur to make the cut. Ghim, who like Jordan Spieth is a University of Texas product, followed his opening-round 72 with a 76 on Friday after going out in 40.

The dream Masters week for Matt Parziale, the firefighter from Brockton, Mass., who won the Mid-Amateur to get to Augusta, ended Friday as he finished 16-over and missed the cut.

Parziale will play the U.S. Open in June at Shinnecock Hills.