Phil Leads in Phoenix

The Phoenix FBR Open began rather mundanely for Phil Mickelson with a +2 round of 71 in the strong, gusting Thursday winds at the TPC of Scottsdale. Friday’s round was anything but mundane: a blistering 60 put Philly Mick in a tie for the lead heading into weekend play at the rowdiest stop on tour.

Mickelson, an Arizona State alumnus who lived in Scottsdale before moving to California, tied the course record (Grant Waite in 1996, Mark Calcavecchia in 2001). He birdied his last five holes of the round, so 59 was never really a tangible possibility, but the round marks Phil’s best ever PGA Tour score. Many recall the 59 Phil shot in last November’s Grand Slam of Golf. Said Phil of his 60, “It was a wonderful day. No complaints here.”

Mickelson shares the lead with 21-year-old Kevin Na, the youngest player on the PGA Tour, at 9-under 133. Na, with a 68 and a 65, bumped the early leader Hank Kuehne from the top spot. Michael Allen and Bernhard Langer passed him later in the day and finished at -6, and the early leader fell to T5 with Hunter Mahan, David Toms, Steve Flesch, Shaun Micheel, and others, all at -5. T14 includes Stewart Cink, K.J. Choi, and Rory Sabbatini and sits five strokes back.

Mickelson won the tournament in 1996 in a playoff with Justin Leonard, and is seeking his 24th career victory and first of 2005. With wins by Tiger and Vijay already, could another Top-5 golfer pull off a victory?

Kevin Na seeks his first win on the PGA Tour, but is probably happy to simply be playing. His father, his manager, and himself escaped injury in a serious car accident a week ago. His mother was not so fortunate, fracturing a vertebrae, and was unable to attend the tournament. Said Na, the accident “kind of woke me up a little bit, got me out of hibernation.”

The cut fell at 3-over 145. Justin Leonard, last week’s winner, failed to make the cut for the second time in three tournaments.

Pos   Player            Tot     R1      R2     R3     R4    Total
T1    Phil Mickelson     -9     73      60      -      -     133
T1    Kevin Na           -9     68      65      -      -     133
T3    Bernhard Langer    -6     70      66      -      -     136
T3    Michael Allen      -6     70      66      -      -     136
T5    Hank Kuehne        -5     69      68      -      -     137
T5    Hunter Mahan       -5     68      69      -      -     137
T5    David Toms         -5     71      66      -      -     137
T5    Heath Slocum       -5     68      69      -      -     137
T5    Steve Flesch       -5     70      67      -      -     137
T5    Shaun Micheel      -5     70      67      -      -     137
T5    Kenny Perry        -5     70      67      -      -     137
T5    Charles Warren     -5     69      68      -      -     137
T5    Ryuji Imada        -5     72      65      -      -     137
T14   Patrick Sheehan    -4     72      66      -      -     138
T14   Harrison Frazar    -4     73      65      -      -     138
T14   Stewart Cink       -4     68      70      -      -     138
T14   K.J. Choi          -4     72      66      -      -     138
T14   Rory Sabbatini     -4     73      65      -      -     138

TV times for weekend play are as follows:

Sat (2/5)     3:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET       CBS
Sun (2/6)     3:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET       CBS