Mickelson roars to the front at Riviera

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Phil Mickelson birdied half the holes on the course Friday and vaulted into a four-shot lead at the halfway point of the Northern Trust Open in California.

Mickelson shot a 7-under 64 at the Riviera Country Club -- the low round of the tournament so far -- for a 36-hole total of 10-under 132. He has made 14 birdies during the first two rounds.

Robert Allenby and Jeff Quinney shared second place at 136 with Scott McCarron, Chad Campbell, Scott Verplank, Billy Mayfair and Vaughn Taylor all at 137.

First-round leader K.J. Choi was among those at 138, having shot a 2-over 73 Friday. FedEx Cup points leader J.B. Holmes, who defeated Mickelson in a sudden death playoff in Arizona two weeks ago, made the cut with a 2-under 140.

Six players were unable to finish play before dark and will complete their rounds early Saturday. None had a chance to impact the leaderboard.

Mickelson is appearing in his fourth consecutive tournament. After falling to Holmes in the playoff, he missed the cut last week at Pebble Beach.

He opened his round Friday with a birdie and also birdied his final two holes.