Phil Mickelson Fires 68 in Emotional Return at St. Jude

It took Phil Mickelson a little while on Thursday to get his golf game going. I guess you can't really blame him for not being totally ready for the round, seeing as he's out worrying about his wife's health and the million other thoughts that come with the terrible news that your other half has cancer.

While most would probably avoid the golf course because, if you don't know, it forces you to think a lot, Phil decided it was time to get back to the game that has made him who he is. A first round 68 that was oh-so-Phil was exactly the answer.

More Coverage: St. Jude Leaderboard

Lefty admitted that these last few weeks have been tremendously emotional, fighting back tears during his practice rounds from all the support he is getting. Once the lovable loser that we all knew, Phil is now the featured family man that most wives wish they could have. As Phil teed it up on the 10th hole at TPC Southwind in the first round of the St. Jude Classic (featuring an organization that, ironically enough, treats cancer victims), he did what Mickelson has done so many times in the past. He took us all for an old-fashioned Phil coaster ride.

Birdies on his first two holes followed by two pars, a bogey, two more pars, one more birdie and a double-bogey on his ninth hole had him at even-par at the turn and within spitting distance of the leaders. After offsetting a birdie with a bogey through his first 13 holes, Phil turned it on, making consecutive birdies on his 16th and 17th holes of the day, leading to a crowd-pleasing two-under round that has him just four shots back of the current leader.