Mickelson surges to four-shot lead

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Phil Mickelson looked as if he was headed for a runaway. He had to settle for another record Friday in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

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Coming off a course-record 62 at tough Spyglass Hill, Mickelson had more wild adventures that he somehow converted into birdies and pars before stalling on his back nine at Poppy Hills for a 5-under 67, giving him a four-shot lead over fellow southpaw Mike Weir.

Mickelson was at 15-under 129, breaking by two shots the 36-hole tournament record. The previous mark was set by Matt Gogel in 2001 and Pat Perez in 2002, neither of whom went on to win.

Lefty is a different breed of player, and he is picking up more confidence each round.

He had a four-shot lead going into the final round last week when he won in Phoenix, and his four-shot lead after 36 holes at Pebble is the largest of his career.

"It's different," Mickelson said of his role as the front-runner. "But I enjoy it. I was able to get one more shot on the field."

And as always, he kept it entertaining.

Mickelson pulled his opening tee shot on No. 10 so badly that he had to take an unplayable lie, then pitch out sideways. That left him a 6-iron into the green, and he holed a 30-footer for par.

He hooked another tee shot on the par-5 12th, but it caromed off a tree and left him an opening for a 7-iron to the green and a simple two-putt for birdie.

Then came an 8-iron that he had to carve out of the woods for another unlikely birdie.

"I just cut it around the tree," Mickelson said. "It was not that big of a deal."

By the time he made the turn, he was 5 under for his round and had a six-shot lead. But he played the front nine at Poppy in even par with hardly any fireworks on a cool, damp afternoon with light rain that made scoring on all three courses a little tougher.

Weir, who has finished in the top four here the last two years, made an early charge to get to 10 under for the tournament, dropped two straight shots along the cliffs, then finished with three straight birdies, all of them from about 10 feet, for a 67 at Pebble Beach.

"I like the position I'm in," Weir said. "Spyglass is a tough test, and hopefully I can have a good round there and give myself a shot Sunday."

Kevin Sutherland had a 70 and Paul Goydos had a 68 at Pebble Beach to finish at 9-under 135, while Andrew Magee joined them with a 68 at Spyglass.

Another stroke back was Darren Clarke, playing for the first time in this tournament. He had a 66 at Pebble Beach after finishing with two birdies in the light rain.

Defending champion Vijay Singh has some work to do - not to become the sixth repeat champion at Pebble, but simply to get a tee time Sunday. Singh had a 40 on his second nine at Poppy Hills - traditionally the easiest course in the rotation - and had a second straight 73.

He was 17 shots out of the lead, and likely needed a 68 at Pebble Beach to make the cut.

Mickelson also heads to Pebble Beach, hopeful of extending his lead even more. He is coming off a five-shot victory at Phoenix, the largest margin of his career. Despite his tendency to make birdies, he was not surprised to hear that his four-shot lead was his largest after two rounds.

"Given my propensity to throw up high numbers, I'm not surprised," he said.

Clarke is among the most well-known Europeans, in part because of his stylish clothes and big cigars, and because his two victories in the United States were World Golf Championships.

He returned to golf after a difficult offseason, learning that his wife was diagnosed for the second time with breast cancer. Doctors have been encouraged by her progress, and Clarke played in South Africa three weeks ago.

"She wanted me to get back and start playing again, just get back and try to get a little bit more normality than we have been," Clarke said.

Lee Westwood, his friend on the European tour, is traveling with him and shot 69 at Pebble Beach to finish his two rounds at 7-under 137, along with Davis Love III (72).

Charles Howell III had a 71 at Spyglass Hill and was among those at 8-under 136.

All of them will be chasing Mickelson, which could be a tough chore. His drives are going long enough that even if Mickelson has a hard time finding them, he can manufacture something to get on or near the green, and let his immaculate short game take over from there.

"He is a world-class player," Clarke said. "He is up and down a little bit, but whenever he is on, he shoots fantastic scores and he is obviously playing very well this week."

Divots: The light rain led to a few problems with mud on the ball. The PGA Tour decided not to play lift, clean and place at the start of the week, and they cannot change once the tournament starts over the three courses.... Joe Ogilvie caught a bad break on the par-3 sixth hole. His tee shot landed in the cup, tore out a chunk of the lip and caromed off the pin and all the way off the green. What looked like an ace turned into a three-putt bogey.... David Duval had a 79 at Spyglass, leaving him 35 shots out of the lead in last place.