AKRON, Ohio (AP) €" Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, a future superstar and a current one, were paired in Thursday's opening round of the Bridgestone Invitational.

It was a big hit with the fans, and especially with the two players.

After McIlroy completed a 2-under 68 and Mickelson finished off a 66, they were already looking forward to playing together again on Friday.

€Every time I've played with Phil, I've enjoyed it,€ said McIlroy, the 21-year-old phenom from Northern Ireland. €I think we enjoy each other€s company. We chatted pretty much the whole way around. It's nice, especially when you're out in a two-ball. It's nice to have a playing partner that you can talk to and have a little bit of a chat.€

Mickelson felt the same way.

€I do enjoy playing with Rory,€ he said. €He's fun, he's interesting, he's a smart guy. So we always have intelligent conversation. He's really got a great demeanor €" always upbeat, great to be around, not to mention his talent. I do enjoy playing with him and we get to play together again tomorrow.€

The two discussed building projects, of all things. Both are in the process of constructing new practice facilities at their homes and were comparing notes throughout the round on different designs, grasses and greens.

Mickelson was 2 over throught his first six holes and 1 over though 10. But he birdied five of the last eight holes to pull into a tie for second, two shots back of Bubba Watson.

The highlight came at the par-4 6th. He hit 300 yard drive, but overcooked his 170-yard second shot, leaving himself with a difficult, short-sided flop shot from 50 feet.

€I needed to get that up and down to maintain some momentum,€ Mickelson said later. €I was only 1-under par and I was trying to keep it just a couple under. And when that lob shot went in the hole, it gave me a nice boost.€

McIlroy raved about the shot.

€That was one of the best shots I've seen this year,€ he said.

Mickelson grinned when he was told that.

€Well, it was a good one,€ said the dramatic winner of the Masters. €There were some at Augusta that I kind of remember a little more fondly than Thursday here at Akron. But it was a good one.€

BEST MOVE: Tiger Woods had a dreadful day, shooting a 74, but after making a 7-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole he bowed and tipped his cap €" in two directions.

TWO THUMBS UP: A change in tee times at the Bridgestone Invitational made a big difference. Instead of playing off both tees in groups of threes, the PGA Tour decided to send players off in twosomes.

€We just figured we would try it and thought it would work,€ said Slugger White, vice president of rules and competition.

There were 10 groups of two that started on each nine, morning and afternoon, and among other things it kept more players on the course at the same time for the gallery.