Phil Mickelson edges ahead - Nissan Open 2007

This is his fifth consecutive week on the PGA Tour, which has taken him from Palm Springs to San Diego, from Phoenix to Pebble Beach. He warmed up for the second round of the Nissan Open by hitting balls about 3 1/2 hours before he teed off Friday, which is not unusual except that Mickelson was at the Callaway Test Center in Carlsbad, and the tournament is two hours away at Riviera.

The one place he's easy to find is in the fairway -- and atop the leaderboard.

Coming off a command performance at Pebble Beach, Mickelson put himself in position for a second straight victory with a 6-under 65 that gave him a share of the lead with Padraig Harrington, who had a 68.

They were at 11-under 134, getting there with vastly different styles.

Mickelson, with a reputation for going for broke and hitting shots that can go anywhere, again looked steady off the tee. He missed only four fairways, most of those in the first cut, and didn't make a bogey until the 16th hole on Friday. He followed that with two of his best shots that set up a 15-foot eagle putt.

"I just flushed it," he said of a 3-wood from 287 yards. "It just came off perfect."

Harrington, known for being steady from tee to green, scrambled like mad and made only two pars over his first 10 holes. He finally settled down from there and was pleased to post anything in the 60s.

"I knew going out there I would be a little erratic," Harrington said. "I'm still making mental errors here and there, so I put up with that. And I made some birdies to counteract some of the bogeys, which was very nice."

Charles Howell III made four straight birdies around the turn -- two of them on par 5s -- for a 65 that put him alone in third place at 8-under 134 and in the final group Saturday with Mickelson and Harrington.

Former Nissan Open champion Robert Allenby (66), Sergio Garcia (68) and David Howell of England (68) were among those at 135, while the group at 137 included Ernie Els, who played with Mickelson but took a different route. Els didn't hit a fairway on the back nine until the 18th hole, but he still managed a 68.

Mickelson and Harrington played different games on opposite ends of the golf course, winding up with a share of the lead. The biggest difference might have been the way they finished -- the Irishman with only a sparse gallery watching him compete his round at No. 9, Mickelson tipped his visor to thousands of fans who cranked up the volume on another gorgeous day at Riviera.

Harrington will get some attention Saturday, primarily playing with Mickelson.

"It adds a bit of excitement," Harrington said.

Mickelson's biggest thrill is finding the fairways.

He hasn't played Riviera since 2001, and he only added this tournament to his schedule at the last minute to test the newfound confidence in his driver. After two rounds, he hasn't found any flaws.

"I like the way I put the ball in play," Mickelson said. "It feels easy."

The 13th hole is usually a 3-wood for most big hitters, but Mickelson opted for the driver and played a low, hard fade that rode the edge of the fairway and left him only a wedge that he hit into 5 feet for birdie. He followed that with an 8-iron into 6 feet on the par-3 14th, so confident of his swing that he went at a pin tucked to the left, landing between the flag and bunker.

But the biggest shot might have been the drive on the par-5 17th, which he hammered some 310 yards down the left side of the fairway. Trying to get the ball anywhere near the green, preferably on the left side for a better angle to the flag, he hit a draw that found the middle of the green and rolled to within 15 feet.

He had eagle putts on the other two par 5s, making birdie on them.

It was another command performance, similar to last week at Pebble Beach when he won by five shots. The only glitch was a few irons that he pulled, but it only cost him a bogey on the 16th.

Mickelson finished his round with an approach that sailed right of the green, but a flop shot landed softly and trickled 4 feet below the hole, allowing him to save par and go into another weekend in the final group.

Fatigue doesn't seem to be a factor, and Mickelson was quick to point out that he missed the cut in Phoenix and hasn't seriously contended until his game turned around at Pebble, so there hasn't been a lot of wasted energy.

The next quiz comes on the weekend at Riviera, where Mickelson has never finished in the top 10.

"It's a good start for two rounds," Mickelson said. "But one of the best players in the world, Padraig Harrington, is tied for the lead. The greens are going to be firm. It's going to be hard to get the ball close to the hole. It's going to be a challenge."

Before long, he was on his way back to the Santa Monica airport for a 30-minute flight to Carlsbad, and a short drive home, minus the LA traffic. His caddie, Jim Mackay, is staying in a hotel near the Los Angeles International Airport, which is about 15 miles away and has been taking him more than two hours.

"He's been trying to get to his hotel," Mickelson said. "I'm beating him back to my house."