PGA Championship: Improbable leader Phil Mickelson looks to snap 10-year drought

May 21 (UPI) -- Phil Mickelson, who hasn't won a golf major in over a decade, shot a 3-under par 69 Friday in the second round of the PGA Championship and entered the clubhouse with a 2-shot lead on the field.

"I'm having a lot of fun," Mickelson told reporters in a news conference. "I'm playing well, and to be in contention heading into the weekend, I'm having a blast. I'm excited for the weekend."

Mickelson shot a 2-under par 70 and was tied for eighth place through the first round Thursday at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in Kiawah Island, S.C.

His stellar round Friday pushed his score to 5-under par for the tournament, which was two strokes better than nine players tied for second place through the afternoon. Several other contenders teed off later and could push up the leaderboard.

Mickelson teed off from No. 10 to start his second round. He birdied No. 11, carded three bogeys and made par five times through his first nine holes.

Mickelson heated up down the stretch and played bogey-free over his final nine holes. He carded birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9 and carded a 4-under par 36 on the front-9.

"I was patient even though things weren't going well [early]," Mickelson told reporters. "I had a few shaky putts on 16, 17 and 18 where I was tentative.

"I've been able to make some adjustments and not let a couple of the poor shots and strokes affect the overall round, which is something I hadn't been doing as well. It has been nice to make those adjustments and get those strokes back."

Mickelson, 50, said he can still hit many of the shots he hit in his prime, but his older age hurts his ability to focus on every shot.

His practices often include 36 and 45-hole sessions in one day to improve that focus. Mickelson said he meditates as another way to sharpen his mind.

"I try to use my mind like a muscle and expand it," Mickelson said.

Mickelson's last major tournament win was the 2010 Masters. He hasn't finished better than 18th at a major since 2016. Mickelson's last PGA Tour victory was the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Mickelson last won the PGA Championship in 2005.

The third round of the 2021 PGA Championship on Saturday airs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT ESPN and from 1 to 7 p.m. on CBS.