SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The winds died down, and boy did Phil Mickelson come alive Friday at the FBR Open, tying the course record with an 11-under-par 60 in the second round.
Mickelson birdied the final five holes to finish one stroke shy of the PGA record for 18 holes - 59, held by Al Geiberger, Chip Beck and David Duval.
"It was a wonderful day," Mickelson said. "No complaints here."
Mickelson was tied with Kevin Na at 9-under 133 halfway through the 72-hole tournament, formerly known as the Phoenix Open, with about half the golfers still on the course.
It was the lowest round ever for Mickelson in an official PGA event. He shot a 59 last Nov. 24 at the PGA Grand Slam. Mickelson tied the FBR Open course record set by Grant Waite in 1996 and matched by Mark Calcavecchia in 2001.
Mickelson had nine birdies and an eagle on the par-71, 7,216-yard Tournament Players Club course, where he won in 1996.
"I would have taken 65 and been ecstatic, because I would be 4 under and be within four or five of the lead going into the weekend," said Mickelson, who used to live in Scottsdale. "Instead, I'm near the lead if not on top of it, because I love this tournament."
Mickelson had to finish his first round Friday morning. He began by sinking a birdie putt on the par-4, 332-yard 17th hole, then he had an eagle, chipping in from off the green, on the same hole in the second round later in the day.
After darkness suspended play in the wind-delayed first round Thursday, Mickelson had decided to mark his ball overnight and putt Friday because he was in the line of Tom Lehman, playing in the same group.
"He ended up making the putt and gave me a perfect line, so it worked out for both of us," Mickelson said.
Lehman, inspired by his partner's performance, shot a 6-under 65 and six back at 3-under 139.
"I kind of got sucked in in the wake of Phil's 60," Lehman said. "That's kind of the way it felt. He played incredibly well and made the game look really easy today."
Mickelson, 4 over through 12 holes Thursday, credited his big day to his strong first-round finish, even though he finished his opening round with a bogey.
"I think the key to today's round was really hanging in there on yesterday's back nine, and getting a couple of birdies, getting it back to 2 over," he said. "Doing that allowed me a chance to shoot a round like this and have it mean something, have it get me up into contention."
At 2-over 73 going into the second round, Mickelson started on the back nine with three consecutive pars, then he had birdies on the 13th, 14th and 16th holes. On the 17th, he putted from the fringe and made it from about 95 feet, the big gallery roaring in approval. Mickelson got to 4 under with a birdie on the par-5, 554-yard third hole, then mounted his magnificent charge down the stretch.
Na, yet to win on the PGA tour, shot a 6-under 65 in the second round. He, his father and his manager escaped injury in a car accident last Thursday, but his mother fractured a vertebrae and was unable to come to Arizona to watch her son play.
The accident, Na said, "kind of woke me up a little bit, got me out of hibernation."
The cloudy but calm weather Friday was a marked contrast to the howling winds that disrupted the tournament's first round. Dudley Hart held the first-round lead at 4-under 67, thanks to his ability to hit line drives low to the ground to avoid the wind.
Forty-five players had to finish their first round Friday after a rare wind delay stopped play for 33 minutes on Thursday, and stalled the start of the afternoon round for 90 minutes.
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