HUMBLE, Texas -- Phil Mickelson did more than prove to just himself that hes ready for next weeks Masters on Thursday. Alex Collins Jersey . The five-time major winner showed to everyone that hes fully recovered from last weeks muscle pull and likely to be a factor in this weeks Houston Open as well. Without so much as a practice round this week at the 7,441-yard Golf Club of Houston, Mickelson opened with a 4-under par 68 and was among the leaders following Thursdays opening round. The bogey-free performance was a far cry from last week when Mickelson was forced to withdraw during the third round in San Antonio after pulling a muscle in his right side "Im surprised because I was worried about the Masters," Mickelson said. "I was certainly worried about Houston, but it healed a lot quicker. I felt great today; didnt feel any pain or discomfort and didnt even think about it." Mickelson is three shots back of first-round co-leaders Bill Haas and Charley Hoffman, both who finished at 7 under. Hass had five birdies on his back nine, while Hoffman needed just 27 putts to earn a share of the lead. Keegan Bradley and Matt Kuchar lead a group of five golfers at 6 under. J.B. Holmes, Erik Compton and Jim Renner are also at 6 under, with 10 golfers are at 5 under. Of the 144 players in the field, 113 finished at even par or under on an overcast and occasionally misty day. "The greens are absolutely perfect," Haas said. "... I think the scores are reflective on that. They were a little slower, but part of that, too, is the weather. It was like a little dewy mist out there all day, which played a part in the speed of the greens." Mickelson and Bradley were part of a threesome with Webb Simpson, who also finished 4 under. All three players in the group navigated the course without a bogey in their morning rounds. Former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, playing in the afternoon and one of the five top-10 players in the world in the tournament, finished with a 2-under 70. While Haas and Hoffman shared the lead after Thursdays play, it was Mickelson -- who was forced to withdraw during last weeks third round in San Antonio after pulling a muscle in his right side -- who was the centre of attention leading into next week at Augusta National. Mickelson has won the Masters three times, the latest coming in 2010, but his status was in doubt following last weeks injury. The left-hander, however, underwent treatment in the days following his departure from San Antonio -- along with fitting in two days of light practice at Augusta National -- and appeared in top ball-striking form on Thursday. "One of the things I really worked on hard today was staying focused on each shot," Mickelson said. "... I needed to play here this week and really challenge myself in that regard to give myself the best chance for next week." Opening on the back nine at the former Redstone Golf Club, which was renamed the Gold Club of Houston following an ownership change, Mickelson was bogey free despite needing 31 putts. He made the turn at 2 under following a 16-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th, and he birdied both of the par 5s on his back nine to put himself squarely in contention. Mickelson won the Houston Open in 2011, and the courses Masters-like setup -- including slick greens and tight rough -- is a key reason hes returned every year since. "He was striking it, he was hitting it long and great," Bradley said of Mickelson. "... He seems like it was feeling a lot better today than it was in San Antonio." Kuchar, who finished tied for fourth at last weeks Texas Open, had three straight birdies in the middle of his round on Thursday -- highlighted by a 47-foot birdie putt on the 445-yard par-4 second hole. McIlroy, one of five of the top 10 players in the world in the field, was as low as 3 under before a pair of bogeys on the back nine. World No. 10 Dustin Johnson withdrew following an opening 8-over par 80. Marshal Yanda Jersey . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years. Maurice Canady Jersey . Catch the action live on TSN2 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Wild lead the Northwest Division and look to get back into the win column after having a season-high seven-game winning streak cut short with Tuesdays 2-1 loss at Winnipeg in the finale of a five-game road trip (4-1-0). http://www.officialbaltimoreravensfootball.com/authentic-javorius-allen-jersey-womens . Catch all the action on TSN starting at 10:30pm et/7:30pm pt. Toronto won at Denver and Utah, but lost in Portland and Sacramento. The Kings loss was the most recent game for the Raptors.Will Grigg will miss Northern Irelands World Cup Qualifier away to Germany because his partner recently gave birth. The 25-year-old became a cult figure at Euro 2016 with Northern Ireland fans infectious Will Griggs On Fire (your defence is terrified) chant, despite the fact he did not play a minute of the campaign.He has since scored six goals in 11 appearances for Wigan this season, but is unavailable to Northern Ireland manager Michael ONeill. Its a blow for Will, said ONeill. Hes been on the scoresheet, but I had a good chat with him and he didnt feel being here was right.Grigg also sat out Saturdays 4-0 win over minnows San Marino in Belfast when Kyle Lafferty came off the bench to score two late goals. Highlights of Northern Irelands 4-0 win over San Marino from World Cup Qualifying Group C. Germany beat the Northern Irish 1-0 in their Euro 2016 group match in June and coach Joachim Low expects another hard-fought match, which you can see live on Sky Sports 1.The team is passionate, the players have a big heart, said Low. A large part of their Euro 2016 squad will also be in Hanover, so we know what to expect.Germany are top of the World Cup qualifying Group C while Northern Ireland are third after two matches.Team newsIn Griggs absence, Lafferty of Norwich City, Conor Washington of Queens Park Rangers and Leeds Uniteds Stuart Dallas will be vying to start up front.For Germany, Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is expected to start having made his first international appearance for nearly a year, following injury, against Czech Republic.Jerome Boateng and Jonas Hector, plus Julian Draxler, are fit despite picking up knocks in Saturdays 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in Hamburg. Michael O’Neill says there is still plenty for Northern Ireland can improve upon despite beating San Marino 4-0 in Group C. Nick Boyle Jersey. Opta statsGermany have won nine of their previous 15 matches against Northern Ireland (D2 L4).Northern Irelands last win against Germany came back in November 1983 (1-0) courtesy of a goal from Norman Whiteside.That win in November 1983 is Northern Irelands only win in Germany (D2 L3).The Green and White Army have scored just eight goals in their last 13 matches against Germany and never more than once in a game in this run. Kyle Lafferty of Northern Ireland celebrates Northern Ireland are unbeaten in their last five away matches (excl. neutral), although four have been draws (W1).Northern Ireland have conceded just three goals in their last nine internationals, including two successive clean sheets in this World Cup qualifying campaign.Lafferty has scored nine times in his last 11 qualifiers for Northern Ireland.Charlie Nicholas predictionWell I know they did well there last time they met theres less pressure on the Germans this time, with six points on the board following 3-0 wins over their supposed main rivals to win the group, Czech Republic and Norway. I love watching different games on Match Choice because I dont always follow the Home Nations and there are games I wanted to see, such as how Spains new system worked at Albania and how Germany are evolving.The bad news is they dont really need to change much, with Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos going boom, boom, boom. Theyre strong, theyre quick, theyre powerful.Northern Ireland are well-drilled but I just see how they can get through this one unscathed with so many threats to be wary of. Jonas Hector and Joshua Kimmich are virtually left and right wingers. They hardly ever defend and they are hitting the byline for fun.Charlie predicts: 2-0 and Muller to score first (9/1 with Sky Bet)BettingNorthern Ireland are 20/1 with Sky Bet to cause a huge upset while Germany will be popular with accumulator punters with odds of 1/8 available. You can get 4/9 for the hosts to be winning at half-time and full-time. Thomas Muller celebrates after scoring against the Czech Republic Thomas Muller heads the first goalscorer betting at 5/2 after his double against Czech Republic on Saturday. If you fancy Muller and Mesut Ozil both to score, the you can get 100/30 for your money.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the British Masters on Sky Sports. 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