Phil Mickelson has made a career out of catching fans off guard. Whether it is his emotional Masters win in 2010, his devastating 2006 U.S. Open collapse, an unexpected PGA Championship in 2021, or when he blindsided the golf world by signing on with LIV Golf in 2022, Lefty constantly turns the narrative upside down.

And he may be doing just that very soon. After an unspectacular 1-over par in his opening round at the 2023 Masters, Mickelson surged into Friday morning. He finished with a 69 to boost himself to 3-under for the tournament and currently nine strokes off leader Brooks Koepka.

Mickelson did not chalk up his performance to a mere good day or a strong track record at Augusta, but instead cautioned that this is only the beginning of what's to come.

“I'm going to go on a tear pretty soon,” he said, via CBS Sports' Kyle Porter. “You wouldn't think that. You look at the scores. But I've been playing exactly how I played yesterday, hitting the ball great, turning 65s, 66s into 77s. I'm ready to go on a tear.”

Mickelson's words are not just standard self-hype. He has been driving the ball well on the LIV Tour. The problem has been his putter, which has led to multiple poor finishes this year. Mickelson has tightened that up through two days and is well within the projected cut line. The 52-year-old will need a momentous weekend push to contend for his fourth Green Jacket, but perhaps that elusive U.S. Open title could finally be in his grasp come June.

Phil Mickelson has already injected some unforeseen hoopla into the final two rounds of the Masters. Fans will now be anxiously waiting to see if and when his warning comes to fruition.