It has not been a good start to the 2011 U.S. Open for Phil Mickelson. It began when he hit his first shot, a tee off the Par-3 tenth hole, into the water on Thursday, and it has continued. Mickelson is currently at +2 on the day and is far off the U.S. Open leaderboard.

Mickelson hit a double-bogey on his first hole and has not recovered. After hitting a birdie on the par-4 12th hole, Mickelson bogeyed 14. He missed a golden opportunity to get one back on 15 when he missed an easy birdie putt. To make matters worse, Lefty's poor start comes on his 41st birthday. 

Mickelson has never won a U.S. Open, and things aren't looking good so far in 2011. The five-time U.S. Open runner-up is the odds-on favorite this year without Tiger Woods in the field. He also has a chance to surpass Woods in total earnings this year, which would make him the highest paid athlete on the planet. 

Mickelson currently is the fifth-highest paid athlete in the world, behind Woods, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Roger Federer. Lefty is also currently the fifth-ranked golfer in the world. 

For a full scoreboard, click here. For more on the 2011 U.S. Open, visit Waggle Room.