SAN ANTONIO -- Phil Mickelson made the cut on the number in the Texas Open on Friday, blasting out of a greenside water hazard to 5 feet to set up a birdie on the final hole. Sam Shields Authentic Jersey . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136. Mickelson was in the stream that runs in front of the 18th green after attempting to reach the par 5 in two from 288 yards with a 3-wood. "I needed to make a birdie to have a chance at playing tomorrow," Mickelson said. "Fortunately, barely went in, and it looked like the water overlapped the grass. It was not that hard of a shot." Bowditch holed out from 83 yards for an eagle on the par-4 12th. The 30-year-old topped the leaderboard at the end of a round for the first time in his PGA Tour career. "My wedge shots have been pretty good," Bowditch said. "I was trying to hit (the one on No. 12) a little past the pin and hope it came back to a reasonable distance. Got lucky." He closed the round with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth, taking two chips to get out of the heavy rough. Chad Collins and rookie Andrew Loupe were a stroke back. Collins shot 66, and Loupe had a 70. Calgarys Stephen Ames shot a 71 and is tied for 34th place. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is well back in a tie for 69th. Mickelson has struggled this year and entered the Texas Open for the first time in 22 years to put his game under competitive conditions as a preparation for the Masters. He knew he had a chance to make the cut even after a bogey on No. 15 dropped him to 3 over. "I was on the green for five minutes and (the 3-over score) went from 74th to 71st in five minutes," Mickelson said, "so I figured that 3 over had a pretty good chance of making it because the scores were coming back." On the 18th, Mickelson pulled off his left shoe and rolled up that pants leg and gave it a shot with his foot in the water. "Its important that I get more mentally into the round like I did today," Mickelson said. "Yesterday, I was very sloppy. I like the way Im driving the ball. My speed is back. My back feels great. My body feels great, and Im able to hit the ball hard again." Plus, after having 17 putts on his second nine Thursday, he opened his second round Friday with one-putts on eight of his first nine holes. He was 3 under for the round until taking two shots to get out of a greenside bunker and bogeying No. 8. Only two of the top 15 players on the leaderboard are in the top 100 of the world ranking. Sixth-place Kevin Na is 78th in the world and ninth-place Zach Johnson is 10th. Bowditch is 339th, Collins 315th and Loupe 505th.Clay Matthews Jersey . Atletico built a provisional three-point advantage over Barcelona before the defending champion hosts Elche on Sunday. Barcelona then visits Atletico in the following round. "We will have to wait and see if Barcelona wins tomorrow to stay leader, as it is accustomed to doing," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. A.J. Hawk Jersey . In the eyes of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, the two-time defending NBA champions pretty much botched the whole thing.Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney announced on Wednesday the signing of veteran infielder Jacob Blackwood to a contract for the 2014 season. Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. In 126 games with San Antonio last season, the product of Kansas City, Missouri hit .259 with seven home runs and 61 RBI. He was named the starting third baseman for the South Division in the Texas League All-Star Game. "Jake is a big addition to our ball club," Forney said. "Hes the type of infielder that provides a big impact bat to our lineup. Hes been an impactful player in our league before and were hopeful he can be an impact guy for the Goldeyes in 2014." Prior to being signed bby the Padres, Blackwood had a monster year for the Kansas City T-Bones in 2010. Matt Flynn. He hit .331 with 31 home runs and 86 RBI in 99 games. His home run and RBI totals led the Northern League, while his batting average was third in the league behind Kevin West and Juan Diaz of the Goldeyes. Blackwood also led the NL with 82 runs scored, 271 total bases, a .636 slugging percentage and a 1.014 OPS. Blackwood, who has experience at all four infield positions and the two corner outfield positions, was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft. He played four-and-a-half seasons in their system before being released and signing with the T-Bones. The Goldeyes now have 12 players signed for the 2014 season, including six pitchers and six position players. ' ' '
