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Mickelson & Gay share halfway lead

Phil Mickelson posted his second consecutive, six-under 66 on Friday to tie Brian Gay, who also carded a 66, at the top of the leaderboard at 12-under 132 after 36 holes of the Compaq Classic.

Harrison Frazar is one shot off the lead at 11-under, while Paul Stankowski, who fired a course-record, 11-under 61 on Thursday, struggled to a 77 in round two and is now tied for 15th at six-under par.

Mickelson birdied the second hole but dropped a shot at four. The lefthander made back-to-back birdies at six and seven before he closed his front nine with a birdie at the last.

"The front nine played much easier with the wind being calm," said Mickelson. "Then it picked up on the back."

The world-number-two collected two birdies in a row at 10 and 11, but bogeyed 13. Mickelson came very close to a double-eagle at the 15th as his three-iron approach came within inches of the hole before it rolled three feet past, where he drained the eagle putt.

Mickelson missed the fairway at the 16th and took another bogey before he parred the last two holes for his 66.

This is the first tournament for Mickelson since his heartbreaking loss to Tiger Woods at the Masters last month.

"With only a couple or three holes left, I had a very realistic shot at winning this year's Masters," Mickelson said. "So I felt that my level of play increased.

"It's starting to feel a little bit more comfortable now, standing on tee shots and knowing a little bit on what side I might miss it, and that allows me to minimize my mistakes. I'm hoping that over the course of the next two days I steadily progress and improve some ball striking and so forth."

Gay made three birdies in his first four holes, with all of the putts inside of 10 feet. He dropped a shot at the fifth as he two-putted from eight feet, but got the stroke back with a seven-foot birdie at the sixth.

Gay carded back-to-back birdies around the turn and then ran home a 25-footer for eagle at the par-five 11th. Another two-putt from inside of 10 feet cost Gay another stroke at 13, but he rebounded with a three-foot birdie putt at 15.

The outright lead was there for Gay, but he drove into a bunker at the closing hole and could not get up and down.

"I missed the cut last year, and the year before, I don't remember," said Gay. "I made the cut, but I want to say around 40th or something."

Unlike Gay, Frazar has had success here with a runner-up finish and a third in the last two years.

"This year will be either a first or fourth place coming up," joked Frazar, who mixed six birdies, a bogey and an eagle on Friday for a seven-under 65. "I don't know which."

Stankowski carded four bogeys on his front nine and a triple bogey at the 15th to quickly relinquish the lead.

"After going bogey, bogey and triple-bogey on the 15th hole, I was looking for a tourniquet," said Stankowski. "I couldn't stop the bleeding."

Jerry Kelly, Keith Clearwater, Chris Tidland and Brian Wilson share fourth at minus-nine. Ernie Els, Brian Watts and Jim Carter are tied for eighth at eight-under 136.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Franco and David Duval head a group tied for 11th at seven-under par.

Two golfers with wins this season, Mark Calcavecchia and Brad Faxon, failed to make the 36-hole cut, which fell at two-under.

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