LOS ANGELES (AP) - One shot clipped an ash tree and kept Phil Mickelson out of worse trouble than he was in. Another landed behind a Bottle Brush, blocking his path to the 10th green at Riviera. On yet another hole, Mickelson had to thread a 9-iron through the limbs of five eucalyptus trees.

So when he walked into the gallery to find his tee shot on the 15th hole and saw a man flat on his back, Mickelson assumed the worst.

``It wouldn't be the first time, so I thought for sure I took him out,'' Mickelson said Saturday.

Instead, the spectator was being still because the ball was inside the hem of his shorts.

Despite all these adventures, Mickelson managed a 1-under 70 on Saturday to share the lead with PGA champion Keegan Bradley in the Northern Trust Open.

On a day when ``routine par'' was not part of his vocabulary, Phil was thrilled.

``This was a great round for me because I did not play well, and I shot 1-under par and I'm atop the leaderboard,'' Mickelson said. ``Usually when I win, I'll have two good rounds and I'll have two rounds that aren't so great that I've got to keep somewhere in it to give myself a chance.''

The last two days weren't his best. He still has a great chance to end his West Coast Swing with back-to-back wins.

The toughest part might be ahead of him.

Bradley took only five putts over the last five holes, including a 10-footer for par on the last hole that got him into the final group, for a 5-under 66 and his best chance at a win since he captured the PGA Championship in August.

What made the par so meaningful was getting a chance to play with Mickelson, whom he considers a mentor. Mickelson invited Bradley in on one of his money games before The Players Championship, where Mickelson graciously showed him the nuances of the TPC Sawgrass, until they reached the last green and the cash was on the line.

Mickelson told Bradley and Brendan Steele to get out their wallets, and then he poured in a putt.

``He's a very competitive guy, but he's very helpful at the same time,'' Bradley said. ``I think him for his advice and help. But he's going to try to beat me tomorrow, and I'm going to have to try to do the same.''

Even so, this is hardly a two-man race at Riviera.

Mickelson and Bradley were at 7-under 206, one shot ahead of Pat Perez (70), Jonathan Byrd (69) and Bryce Molder (66). Mickelson wasn't the only player on a wild ride along the fabled course off Sunset Boulevard.

Molder one-putted the last eight greens, five of them for par. Perez three-putted from 10 feet on No. 3, and on the next hole took four putts from 60 feet on the fringe, the last three from inside 5 feet. Byrd took only 21 putts in 18 holes, courtesy of only hitting six greens in regulation.

``My short game was marvelous,'' Byrd said.

Defending champion Aaron Baddeley had a 66, while Dustin Johnson chopped up the end of his round before a birdie on the 18th that gave him a 67. They were in the group two shots behind, along with FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas, who had a 68.

Johnson three-putted from just outside 3 feet on the par-5 17th and made bogey.

``I'm going to come out tomorrow and give it everything I've got,'' Johnson said.

Twelve players were within three shots of the lead, so it could be anyone's game on Sunday. Mickelson still likes his position.

``I was six back last week, so I would prefer where I'm at this week,'' he said.

Mickelson rallied with a 64 in the final round at Pebble Beach, and to win at Riviera would make him the first player to win consecutive PGA Tour events since Tiger Woods in August 2009.

Mickelson's only regret was not taking advantage of birdie putts, missing from inside 8 feet on the ninth and 16th holes, and not giving himself a chance on the par-5 17th when his wedge rolled off the front of the green.

Nothing was more entertaining, however, than his journey into, through and over the trees.

He pulled his tee shot so far right on the par-3 sixth that it was headed for the ivy-covered fence until clipping the ash tree and dropping down. Then, instead of hitting a lofted chip that could run to the pin, he chose to chip some 25 feet past the hole, have it run up the bank and come down. It rolled 12 feet past the hole, and he made it for a par.

On the par-4 eighth, which gives players the option of two fairways, Mickelson found his own route. He blasted a tee shot so far left it went over a white fence and landed at the base of the stairs of a corporate tent. After getting a free drop, he threaded a 9-iron through five eucalyptus trees to 12 feet.

It would have been one of the more amazing birdies in his career, except he missed the putt.

He was introduced to a Bottle Brush on the 10th. That was the name of the tree between the pin and where his tee shot landed. Mickelson caught a tiny branch and didn't reach the green, but hit a skillful pitch to 3 feet for par.

``I'll get it turned around,'' said Mickelson, who spoke to Butch Harmon after his round and headed to the practice range before his private jet commute home to San Diego. ``Today was a big day, because if I didn't fight hard and make pars from some of the places I was at, then I'd be trying to play catch-up to a lot of guys.

``Now, there's a lot of players that are right in it, within a couple of shots of the lead,'' he said. ``And it's going to take a good round tomorrow. But I'm pleased that I put myself in it.''

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Orignal source: http://www.golf.com/ap-news/phil-mickelson-keegan-bradley-tied-northern-trust...

World number one Luke Donald has been drawn to meet three-time major winner Ernie Els in the Accenture World Match Play Championship this week.

Donald, the defending champion, will be hoping to reproduce his incredible 2011 form when he won all six of his matches before the 18th hole.

Tiger Woods will play Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in Wednesday's opening round at Dove Mountain.

Rory McIlroy begins his campaign against South African George Coetzee.

Lee Westwood faces Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts at the Arizona course, while Sergio Garcia takes on fellow Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez.Bill Haas, winner of Sunday's Northern Trust Open, tees off against Japan's Ryo Ishikawa while Dustin Johnson meets his US Ryder Cup team-mate Jim Furyk.

Donald, whose success came a year after his fellow Briton Ian Poulter won the tournament, needs to forget his disappointing showing in the Northern Trust Open last week.

The Buckinghamshire-based golfer slumped to a 56th place finish, carding 78 in his final round.

"I certainly have good feelings going back to Dove Mountain," he said.

"I have a pretty good matchplay record but you just never know with that format.

"I just try to be pretty good at not giving too many shots away, too many holes away, keeping the pressure on my opponents and taking it one match at a time.

"I have always had that inner belief that I could certainly play as well as I did last year and it's nice to see the hard work paying off but I feel like there is a lot more for me to achieve.

"There is a slight added burden of expectation but I feel I've dealt with that pretty well so far."

The first round matches will be played from 22-26 February.

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Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17106203

Phil Mickelson has kicked on from his Pebble Beach rout, shooting a five under 66 at Riviera Country Club to lead the US PGA Tour Northern Trust Open in a wind-affected first round.

Mickelson, fresh from blitzing the field last week on the way to career win number 40, stamped his authority on the famed Los Angeles track.

A two-time winner of the event, Mickelson handled tough winds early in his round before taking full advantage when the ferocity abated in the late afternoon.

He punctuated his 66 with a last hole chip in, his sixth birdie of the day, to take the lead.

Recent brain surgery patient JB Holmes and fellow American Hunter Mahan shared second place after impressive four under rounds of 67.

High winds slowed play throughout the day, leaving 30 players yet to complete their opening rounds.

Marc Leishman was the best-placed Australian after a one under 70, good enough to be tied 14th.

He played his best golf in the stronger winds, notching up two front nine birdies but gave a stroke back on the back nine.Mat Goggin found some form in the tougher morning conditions, shooting an even par 71 to tie 24th.

It was tough going for defending champion Aaron Baddeley, who was three over after as many holes with an early bogey and double bogey.

But he managed to finish with a two over 73, the same score posted by fellow Australians Adam Scott, Jason Day, John Senden, Stuart Appleby and Jarrod Lyle, leaving them tied 55th.

Scott, in his first competitive appearance in three months and first hit out since a recent tonsillectomy, was still reasonably pleased.

"It was really tough conditions with the wind gusting all morning and the cold weather early," he said.

"It's just different playing when it counts compared to a practice round or playing with your mates at home and I just have to settle back into competitive rhythm.

"I wouldn't say I'm there yet but it wasn't bad, it was fairly sharp and not that rusty, actually.

"The important thing is to put a good round on it tomorrow no matter the conditions," Scott said.

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Original source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/golf/news/article.cfm?c_id=48&objectid=10786280

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Phil Mickelson rallied from six shots behind to win for the fourth time at Pebble Beach, a final round made even more memorable by the guy in a red shirt who was among the first to congratulate him Sunday on the 18th green.

Turns out that Tiger Woods was just along for the ride.

Mickelson closed with an 8-under 64, beating Woods by 11 shots in a one-sided showdown at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

``I just feel very inspired when I play with him,'' said Mickelson, who has posted the better score the past five times he has played alongside Woods in the final round.

``I love playing with him, and he brings out some of my best golf. I hope that he continues to play better, and better, and I hope that he and I have a chance to play together more in the final rounds.''

Woods, one shot out of the lead on the sixth hole after 54-hole leader Charlie Wi fell apart early, followed his first birdie of the final round with three straight bogeys, starting with a three-putt from 18 feet on the par-3 seventh.

It never got much better from there.

He finished a miserable day with another three-putt on the 18th for a 75, the only consolation coming from belief that he's closer than ever to putting it all together.

``I didn't hit it as bad as the score indicated, but I putted awful,'' Woods said. ``As good as I felt on the greens yesterday, I felt bad today. Anything I tried to do wasn't working. Consequently, I made a ton of mistakes on the green.''

At least he got to watch a clinic.

Mickelson went from six shots behind to a two-shot lead on the par-5 sixth hole when he rolled in a 20-foot eagle putt, adjusting his read after watching Woods' amateur partner - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo - miss from a similar line.

Woods holed a bunker shot for birdie on No. 12, but right when it looked like a two-shot swing that could give Woods some momentum, Mickelson made a 30-foot par putt. With Woods out of the way, Mickelson made a 40-foot par putt on the 15th hole to keep a three-shot cushion, and he was never challenged from there.

He wound up with a two-shot win over Wi, who four-putted for double bogey on the opening hole and never recovered.

Mickelson, who finished at 17-under 269, became only the ninth player in PGA Tour history with 40 career wins. This one was special for many reasons, and the thrashing he gave Woods was but a small part of it.

His wife, Amy, flew up for the weekend and gave him a pep talk Friday in the rain at Monterey Peninsula when Mickelson was going nowhere. He ran off five birdies, got back into the tournament and picked up a win he didn't see coming.

As much as Woods talks about his game being close, Mickelson felt the same way. His last win was the Houston Open last April, and while he thought he was putting well, his scores didn't reflect it.

``It's one of the more emotional victories for me than I've had, and the reason is I've had some doubt these last couple of weeks, given the scores I've shot,'' Mickelson said. ``Having these great practice sessions, I started to wonder if I'm going to be able to bring it to the golf course. So this gives me a lot of confidence and erases the doubt.''

The last shred of doubt came on the 14th, a diabolical green that turn birdies into bogeys without caution. Woods hit a wedge that went down the side of the green, requiring two chips to get on the green. He made bogey.

Mickelson's caddie, Jim ``Bones'' Mackay got in his hear.

``He erased all doubt and said, `Let's get aggressive and make birdie, we need one more here,''' Mickelson said. ``It just got me aggressive and into a positive frame of mind.''

He went at the flag and made birdie.

Wi, who started the final round with a three-shot lead, birdied his last two holes for a 72 and his fifth runner-up finish on tour. It was the third straight week that the winner began the final round at least six shots behind a 54-hole leader going for his first tour victory.

``I fought back and hung in there, because the four-putt on the first hole, I was really shook up pretty badly and my strokes were pretty iffy at best,'' Wi said. ``I hung in there all day. My time will come.''

The shocker, though, was how Woods fell apart.

He has been taking big strides with his game over the past few months, and he looked poised to break through after a 67 in the third round at Pebble Beach got him to within four shots of the lead. But he needed a start like Mickelson, and was never really in the game.

Two weeks ago in his 2012 debut at Abu Dhabi, Woods was tied for the lead with unheralded Robert Rock going into the final round and didn't break par, tying for third.

``What was frustrating is that I had a chance,'' he said. ``All I had to do was get off to a good, solid start today. And I didn't do that.''

Woods used to own Mickelson, but that changed at the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship. This was the fifth straight time Mickelson posted the better score when playing in the same group as Woods in the final round.

Mickelson has won three of those tournaments, although they have yet to be in the final group on those occasions.

``Although I feel like he brings out the best in me, it's only been the past five years,'' Mickelson said. ``Before, I got spanked pretty good. Let's not forget the big picture here. I've been beat up. But the last five years, I've been able to get some of my best golf out when we play together.''

Ricky Barnes closed with a 67 and finished third. Kevin Na tied for fifth and earned a spot in the Match Play Championship in two weeks at Arizona.

Even with Wi falling apart, that wasn't enough for Woods to get in on the action.

Standing in the sixth fairway, Woods was only one shot out of the lead, yet the sleeves of his red shirt and his name on the leaderboard didn't seem to make him stand out the way it has before.

The opening holes had something to do with that, and watching Mickelson play alongside him.

``He played really good today,'' Woods said. ``He was hitting it flush. And his wedge game was right on the money.''

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Original source: http://www.golf.com/ap-news/phil-mickelson-crushes-tiger-woods-wins-pebble-be...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - After beating Tiger Woods at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, rising star Robert Rock says he no longer fears playing against the big names.

Good thing. He’s paired with U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy and defending champion Alvaro Quiros of Spain in Thursday’s opening round of the Dubai Desert Classic.

The 34-year-old Englishman, who cracked the top 100 with his Abu Dhabi win, has found celebrity life to his liking. He was mobbed by autograph seekers when playing a pro-am tournament Wednesday. He’s also picked up a lucrative endorsement, signing on as the golfing ambassador for the opulent Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Plenty of people were still asking Rock about his shocking win over 14-time major winner Woods. They came into the final round tied, but Rock held his nerve to win the tournament by a shot over McIlroy. Woods was another shot back in a tie for third.

“It doesn’t get much better than that for me,” Rock told The Associated Press on Wednesday as he walked down the fairway of the first hole of the Emirates Club. “To make it better, it would need to be the same sort of scenario in a major championship.

“The chances of actually getting the pairings right for that are slim … I think I will have a chance to win other tournaments, but that one will definitely be a lasting memory.”

Rock, who won his first European Tour event last year, said the win against Woods had given him confidence and a sense he can compete with anyone.

“Certain occasions during my career, I’ve played with people that have really made me nervous, and that was probably the most,” he said of Woods. “I played with Nick Faldo, who was a hero, and so was Seve (Ballesteros). After you do that, you are not scared of any groups you get. I’d love to play with him (Woods) again. He was great company.”

Rock dismissed critics who have suggested Woods can be rude on the golf course, after he was caught spitting on the green last year in Dubai. He said the former No. 1 repeatedly complimented him on his shots and put up with a packed gallery in Abu Dhabi that at times became a tad unruly.

“As far as golfing etiquette, it couldn’t be better. It’s a bit unfair when people criticize him,” he said. “There are a lot of distractions for him when he is playing, people talking, people using their phones, people taking pictures when they shouldn’t.

“That was frustrating for me when I was hitting shots. I lost my temper a few times when that happened, and he doesn’t do that. He ignores it and just carries on.”

Rock, who until last month was better known for his relaxed demeanor and 1970s style haircut, said breaking into the top 50 would be a goal—in time to get him an invitation to the Masters. But his first priority is to win in Dubai.

“I’m up against two great players in that group,” Rock said. “The whole field is full of potential winners. The European Tour is very, very strong. I think my victory in Abu Dhabi proved that to some extent, that somebody down the lower ends of the world rankings can win a tournament.”

McIlroy, who won here in 2009, is looking to overcome inconsistent driving and mistakes in Abu Dhabi. Among the most costly was a two-shot penalty in the second round for brushing away sand in front of his ball in the rough on the ninth hole.

“I didn’t feel like I played all that well in Abu Dhabi,” McIlroy said. “I scored very well and was able to get myself into contention, which was great.

“I felt like I needed to work on a couple of things last week, which I did, and I feel like they’re getting better.”

Third-ranked Lee Westwood is in the field, looking to improve on a slow start to the year. He finished tied for 17th in Abu Dhabi and tied for 12th at the Qatar Masters. Fourth-ranked Martin Kaymer is competing after finishing tied for ninth in Qatar and missing the cut in Abu Dhabi.

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Orignal source: http://www.golfchannel.com/news/associated-press/rock-star-rock-enjoying-new-...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Webb Simpson is getting used to his lofty position in the world ranking. He's comfortable on the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale, too.

Simpson had five birdies in a six-hole stretch, capped by a 9-iron bunker shot to inches on the second hole, and shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday to finish a stroke behind leader Ryan Palmer in the suspended first round of the Phoenix Open.

``It's one of those courses that just fits your eye well,'' said Simpson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 6.

He's ranked second among U.S. players, one spot behind Steve Stricker.

``I'm getting used to it,'' Simpson said. ``I don't think about that stuff that much. I'm just a believer in you can climb up as quick as you can go down, so I don't pay attention to it that much. If I'm low on confidence, I'll look at the world ranking, `Hey, we're still there at the top.'''

Palmer parred his final hole at dusk for a 64.

The start of the round was delayed an hour because of frost, and play was suspended because of darkness at 6:05 p.m. with 42 players unable to finish. Last year, frost and frozen greens delayed play nine hours during the week, forcing a Monday finish.

``I knew I was going to be here in the morning for the second round, so I wasn't worried about it if we had to come back and restart,'' Palmer said. ``So, I didn't think about it and I just kept hitting shots and sticking to my game plan.''

He was back in his comfort zone with a trusted old putter model.

``I pulled it out of the garage and was putting in my living room, then went outside in the backyard on my putting green, and I knew it was time to bring it back out,'' the three-time tour winner said after holing seven birdie putts from 10-15 feet.

Palmer switched back to the Odyssey putter after missing the cuts in his previous starts this year in the Sony Open and Humana Challenge.

``I wasn't comfortable when I'd get over the short putts,'' he said.

Palmer had 27 putts and hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. He birdied the par-5 15th after his drive landed in the middle of the fairway and rolled left into the water, and saved par on the short par-4 17th after also driving into the water.

``To make birdie there (15) after hitting it in the water, and then I get up on 17 and do the same thing, hit it in the water,'' Palmer said. ``I guess you could say I left a couple out there.''

He was 8 under after a birdie on No. 6, but had his lone bogey on No. 7, then finished the round with pars on Nos. 8 and 9.

Jarrod Lyle, Harrison Frazar, Derek Lamely, Kevin Na and Chez Reavie were two strokes behind at 66, and Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner and Spencer Levin also were 5 under. Watson and Levin had three holes left. Dufner, a playoff loser last year, had five holes remaining.

Kyle Stanley opened with a 69, four days after a devastating loss in the Farmers Insurance Open. On Sunday at Torrey Pines, he made a triple-bogey 8 on the final hole of regulation and lost to Brandt Snedeker in a playoff.

``It was just good to be out there,'' Stanley said. ``It was almost therapeutic.''

He received warm cheers and words of encouragement from the fans.

``I'm kind of overwhelmed by it,'' Stanley said.

Phil Mickelson had 24 putts in a 68, and defending champion Mark Wilson, coming off a victory two weeks ago in the Humana Challenge, was 1 under with two holes left.

``I feel so good with the putter,'' said Mickelson, the former Arizona State star who won the tournament in 1996 and 2005. ``It's been a little while. It's been a few years since the guys out here have seen me putt like this.''

Mickleson played alongside Dustin Johnson and the green-clad Rickie Fowler in a morning group that attracted the largest gallery in the estimated crowd of 77,053.

Fowler holed out from 68 yards for birdie on the par-5 15th after hitting his second shot into the water in front of the green.

``As soon as I hit it, I knew it was how I wanted to hit it,'' Fowler said. ``It skipped behind the hole, and I could see it spinning right down the stick.''

Fowler shot a 69, and Johnson had a 68.

Simpson birdied No. 14 and 15, made par on the amphitheater par-3 16th, then birdied the next four holes. On the par-4 second, he hit a shot to remember after his drive drifted right.

``I had a good lie in the bunker and had 145 yards. I was just trying to hit an easy 9,'' Simpson said. ``It was one of those that just came out perfect and landed great and ended up being a tap-in. It was my favorite shot, I think, I've hit this year.''

Last year, Simpson closed the regular season with a victory in the Wyndham Championship, then won the Deutsche Bank two weeks later in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He's coming off a two-week break after opening in Hawaii with a tie for third in the Tournament of Champions and a tie for 38th in the Sony Open.

``One of the big things this year was you see so many players go out and have a big year and they come out and they struggle,'' Simpson said. ``It's fine if I struggle, but I want to make sure that I'm doing the same things.''

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Original source: http://www.golf.com/ap-news/ryan-palmer-takes-lead-phoenix-open-play-suspended

England's Robert Rock held off the challenge of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to claim the biggest win of his career at the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Joint overnight leader with Woods, Rock birdied three of his first six holes to set up a one-shot victory on 13 under.

McIlroy (69) birdied the last to finish second, while Woods struggled to find fairways or greens in his level-par 72.

Graeme McDowell (68) aced the 12th and birdied the last two holes to tie for third with Woods and Thomas Bjorn (68).

Former world number one Woods started well with a 50-foot birdie putt on the second and another birdie on the third, but gave both those shots back with bogeys on the fourth and fifth.

Rock, who also birdied the second and third, knocked in another on the sixth to open a three-shot lead he could scarcely believe.

"I was just happy to be playing with Tiger," admitted the 34-year-old Staffordshire pro, who can now bank a cheque for £291,646 after closing with a two-under-par 70. "That is a special honour in itself.

"Early on I was very nervous but I hit some good shots and then I began to think, 'why not?'"

However, any thoughts of a straightforward victory were quickly snuffed out by a bogey on the eighth and, when Woods birdied nine, the lead was back to one.

But that was as close as the American, who hit only five greens in regulation, would get.

"I was right there with a chance to win, but just didn't get the job done," said 36-year-old Woods.

"I got off to a beautiful start but misjudged the wind on the next two holes and felt I was just a touch off."

World number three McIlroy exerted a little late pressure with a birdie on the par-five last to set the clubhouse lead on 12 under.

That meant Rock, who had won only once previously on Tour in 228 attempts, at last year's Italian Open, had a two-shot cushion on the 18th tee - a cushion that would prove useful.

The man from Rugeley, who is affiliated to The Belfry, pushed his drive towards the lake and, although his ball stayed dry, he was left with a tough lie among shrubs and rocks in the hazard.

Sensibly, on the advice of his caddie, rather than try and execute a difficult escape shot, Rock elected to take a penalty drop, knowing that a bogey-six would be good enough unless Woods eagled the last.

Woods pulled his second shot into deep rough and, after he failed to hole his pitch, Rock had the luxury of two putts from 25 feet to complete comfortably the best win of his 14-year career.

It moved Rock up to second place in The Race to Dubai, while also extending his European Tour exemption until the end of 2014.

But it was not his biggest pay-day, compared to the near £500,000 he banked despite finishing runner-up to amateur Shane Lowry in an Irish Open play-off at Baltray in 2009.

"I've no idea how I feel at the moment," added Rock, whose previous best finish here was a tie for 47th. "I think it will take a few days to sink in because it was such a high quality field and I haven't done particularly well here in the past. But I played great this week and, obviously, I'm absolutely delighted."

McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, picked up five shots in his final seven holes to catapult himself up to a share of third with Denmark's Bjorn, who also shot up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 68.

The Northern Irishman followed his hole-in-one on the 12th with birdies on the 13th and 17th and then took advantage of an extraordinary piece of good fortune to birdie the last.

His third shot flew through the back of the green but cannoned off the stand onto the green just six feet from the hole.

"It was a thinned gap wedge that ricocheted off the stand to six feet for a regulation birdie," laughed McDowell.

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Original source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/16780265.stm