Mickelson leads by one at Riviera

LOS ANGELES -- Rich Beem saw his 7-iron plunge into the cup for a hole-in-one and gave Riviera a celebration to remember. He scooted up the back of the red sports car behind the 14th tee and splayed his body on the roof, hugging his new prize.

Beem only won a car Saturday. Thanks to a late stumble by Phil Mickelson, he and a half-dozen other players suddenly can think about winning the trophy at the Nissan Open.

Mickelson had a three-shot lead and looked unstoppable until a 30-inch par putt rimmed around the cup, the first of three straight bogeys on the back nine that brought him back to the field and turned the final round into a scramble that usually takes place at Riviera.

Lefty wound up with a 69, giving him a one-shot lead over Padraig Harrington (70).

Beem, who trailed by as many as seven shots on the back nine, finished with a 65 and was two behind at the end of a warm and wild afternoon. Five other players, including Ernie Els and Jim Furyk, were within four shots of Mickelson.

"It could have been a chance for Padraig and I to pull away a little bit there in the end," said Mickelson, who was at 13-under 200. "Those three bogeys on the back let 12 to 15 guys back in the tournament."

Harrington felt only six other players had a chance, but while they disagreed on the number, they shared disappointment. Scoring conditions were good in the sunshine and mild breeze, but the front-runners stalled on the back nine. Harrington, who made 10 birdies on Thursday and six on Friday, managed only two birdies in the third round, and he can only hope the sequence doesn't continue.

"Whoever plays the best tomorrow will probably win the tournament," he said. "But it's a half-dozen guys instead of two."

Mickelson birdied his first two holes on the back nine to reach 15 under and stretch his lead to three shots, and he looked every bit as comfortable as last week at Pebble Beach, when he tied a tournament scoring record and won by five.

With so much emphasis on his improved driving, the key has been making virtually every putt inside 6 feet. But that's what cost him at Riviera, starting with a 30-inch miss on No. 12 for only his second bogey of the tournament, and a 6-foot par putt that missed so badly Mickelson slapped at his blade right after hitting his putt.

Still, it wasn't hard to find the silver lining on a cloudless day.

"I was tied for the lead yesterday. I've got a one-shot lead today. So, it's getting better," Mickelson said. "It wasn't the lead I wanted, but it's getting better."

Only later did Mickelson realize the reason for the roar ahead of him. From 179 yards, Beem hit a towering 7-iron that sprung off the green and slammed into the bottom of the cup.