Phil Mickelson shows he’s still got it after taking Travelers Championship lead

50-year-old Phil Mickelson takes the lead at the Travelers Championship

50 has never looked so good, especially for Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson became eligible for the Champions Tour 10 days ago but proved on Friday he’s not done competing against the young guys. In his first tournament since his 50th birthday, he’ll take the lead into the weekend at the Travelers Championship after a seven-under round of 63.

Mickelson’s round followed up the 64 he shot on Thursday, leaving him at 13-under for the tournament and a shot ahead of Will Gordon and Mackenzie Hughes. His 36-hole total of 127 is his lowest since the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2013. It’s the first time in his 618 career PGA Tour starts he’s opened a tournament with consecutive rounds of 64 or better. He’s made just one bogey through 36 holes, the first time he’s done that since the Desert Classic last January when he finished runner-up to Adam Long.

Mickelson had a lot to celebrate off the course on June 16, just not with his golf game. He came to TPC River Highlands this week having missed his last three cuts and five of his last six. He hadn’t missed four straight since 1993. He has just one top-10 finish on tour in the last 16 months. But after his strong start on Thursday, he was even better on Friday.

Donning the dark-tinted sunglasses he first unveiled at the Charles Schwab Challenge two weeks ago, Mickelson was one-over through his first four holes but played his last 14 in eight-under. He made three straight birdies on the back-nine, including a left-to-right breaking 32-foot putt on the par-4 14th that barely made it to the cup. He finished the round with a 314-yard drive on the 18th, then nearly holed a wedge shot from 118 yards and left himself a two-foot tap-in for birdie.

Mickelson knows his way around TPC River Highlands

Mickelson has plenty of experience at TPC River Highlands. He won this event in back-to-back years in 2001-02. He knew that, even with his slow start, there were chances to make it up later.

“It’s gotten better as the rounds have progressed. I’ve hit some good wedges but more than that I’ve given myself fair chances because I’ve hit a lot of fairways, especially today,” he told Golf Channel following the round. “I felt like I was playing aggressive then because of that.”

“The back-nine is an awesome nine holes of golf because it has such great risk-reward and great birdie and eagle opportunities, but also some high numbers if you play it poorly. I’ve always enjoyed this back-nine and knew that if I continue to hit the ball in the fairway I was going to hit my wedges close and make some birdies.”

Mickelson hit 11 of 14 fairways on Friday and averaged 304 yards with his drives, four yards behind playing partner Rory McIlroy but 20 short of Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy is 19 years younger than Mickelson, DeChambeau 23 years younger. But it was the old guy seemingly past his prime who outperformed them both.

Mickelson will be paired with Gordon for the third round on Saturday. Mickelson has 44 career PGA Tour titles; Gordon, a former college standout at Vanderbilt, has played 22 rounds on tour in his career. The oldest winner in PGA Tour history is Sam Snead at age 52. Davis Love III was the last to win an event past his 50th birthday when he took home the Wyndham Championship in 2015.

He’s only halfway there, but Mickelson showed on Friday that, even at half a century, he can still play with the best of them.