Mickelson moves two shots ahead

Phil Mickelson does not have to worry about walking in Tiger Woods' shadow this week.

Mickelson, who finished third behind Woods at The Masters last week, carded a 7-under 64 Friday to open a two-shot lead over Justin Leonard and Davis Love III after the second round of the Worldcom Classic at Harbour Town Golf Links.

"This is one of my favorite golf courses on tour, so I very much like to play here," he said. "It, at times, can be difficult following a major to play any tournament. But this one, they do everything they can to accommodate the players. It's a short drive from Augusta to here."

Lee Janzen is alone in fourth at 10-under, one shot ahead of Cameron Beckman, Billy Mayfair and Angel Cabrera. Beckman posted the low round of the day, firing an 8-under 63 to climb from a tie for 38th.

Ten players are tied for eighth at 7-under, including Australian Greg Norman and Billy Andrade, who began the round alone in second place, two shots behind Love.

Although the 31-year-old Mickelson continues to carry the tag as the best active player never to win a major, he is enjoying a solid year.

In addition to winning the Bob Hope Classic in a playoff in January, Mickelson has a trio of top-three finishes in his last four starts. Now he will have a chance to capture his 21st career title and can do so without the specter of Woods, who is taking the week off after winning his third Masters title.

Mickelson's total of 12-under 129 is a career low for 36 holes, bettering his previous best of 131. On the six previous occasions Mickelson was the solo leader after 36 holes, he went on to win five times.

Mickelson said he is still on a high from last week, when he was in contention until the final few holes. He overcame two bogeys with six birdies and an eagle on Friday

"To play the final nine holes of The Masters on Sunday is a fun opportunity," Mickelson said. "Certainly, it is mentally and physically draining. But it also brings you energy and excitement to play. And so my level of excitement to play this game right now is very high."

Leonard also carded a 64 in a bogey-free round and moved up from a tie for ninth at the start of the day.

"It's a little easier when you're trying to catch somebody," he said. "After seeing yesterday morning how many guys shot good rounds, I knew it was important to play well this morning. And I'm happy to be able to do that."

Love, who has won this event four times, followed a putting tip from his brother to shoot a 62 on Thursday. But he cooled off Friday, settling for a 2-under 69 that included birdies on the final two holes. Love also shot a 63 in the Pro-Am on Wednesday.

"Today was the day you couldn't just reel off five or six (birdies) in a row and get yourself back in it," Love said. "You just had to hang in there and not force it. Because this course, if it's calm, you can put yourself in position to hit at every green. But when it's windy, even good shots you get behind trees."

After posting a 66 on Thursday, Mickelson got off to a slow start Friday, bogeying No. 10, his first hole. But he rebounded with birdies on No. 11, 12 and 15 to make the turn at 2-under.

Mickelson birdied No. 1, then eagled the second hole to get to 5-under. He gave back a shot with a bogey on the par-4 third hole but notched consecutive birdies on Nos. 5 and 6. After parring Nos. 7 and 8, Mickelson closed his round with his sixth birdie on No. 9.

"I made a lot of good putts today," he said. "I certainly hit good shots. But it's not like I walked around with tap-ins today. I made a lot of good putts, and that's what you need to do to score low any day."

Leonard, who tied for 20th at The Masters without breaking 70, quickly gained ground on the leaderboard Friday, birdying four of the first five holes, including the first two.

He added another birdie at No. 8 to make the turn at 5-under 31. He cooled off on the back, making six straight pars before birdying two of the final three holes to pull within two shots of Mickelson.

Leonard has a pair of top-10 finishes this year, tying for sixth at the Bob Hope Classic and the Houston Open, two weeks before The Masters. The last of his six career victories came at the 2001 Texas Open.

The Harbour Town Golf Links course is a par-71 layout measuring 6,973 yards.

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