Mickelson ekes out battling win at Riviera

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

PACIFIC PALISADES, California (Reuters) - Phil Mickelson squandered a five-stroke lead before coming from two behind with three holes remaining to win the Northern Trust Open by a shot on Sunday.

The American left-hander, who hit only nine of 14 fairways and reached just nine of 18 greens in regulation, birdied 16 and 17 before parring the last to complete a successful title defense at Riviera Country Club.

Mickelson, who had charged four ahead of the chasing pack with a blistering 62 on Saturday, clinched his 35th PGA Tour victory with a 15-under total of 269.

American Steve Stricker, two shots ahead with two holes to play, had to settle for second place after bogeying the final hole for a 67.

PGA Tour veteran Fred Couples, champion here in 1990 and 1992, carded a 69 to finish at 13 under in a tie for third with Argentina''s Andres Romero (70) and South Korean K.J. Choi (69).

"I''m pleased to be sitting here as the champion," Mickelson told reporters after earning the winner''s cheque for $1.134 million. "It was not easy.

"The bad of it came in that I need to become a better front runner when I get a lead. I had a five-shot lead and let it slide.

"The good thing was that I was able to fight hard, and fight through the round," the 38-year-old said after becoming the seventh player to win the tournament in successive years.

"When I didn''t have my best stuff and come out with birdies there on 16 and 17 when I needed them and a tough par on 18, that meant a lot to me."

The final round appeared to be set up for a victory march for Mickelson, especially when he rammed in a 34-foot eagle putt at the par-five first to briefly stretch his lead to six.

However, his playing partners Couples and Romero both birdied the hole to trim his advantage to five.

HIT TREE

Mickelson then bogeyed three of the next six holes, duffing a chip from just off the green at the par-four second, hitting a tree with his drive at the third and missing the fairway off the tee at the seventh for his lead to be cut to two.

He was fortunate not to drop another stroke at the eighth, where he ended up in trees off the tee and struck branches with a bold recovery through a narrow gap before parring the ninth to enter the back nine two ahead of the chasing pack.

Stricker, who began the final round six strokes off the pace, birdied the par-five 11th and the par-four 12th, where he sank a six-footer, to draw level with Mickelson at 15 under.  Continued...