The high-flying Californian left-hander shot a sparkling 5-under-par 66 on a difficult day of strong winds that gusting up to 35 mph (56 kph) at storied Riviera Country Club at the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles to take a one-shot lead ahead of fellow Americans JB Holmes and Hunter Mahan.

A fourth American, Jonathan Byrd, who played TaylorMade Rossa Corza Ghost Putter
in the morning when the winds were at their strongest, and Swede Carl Pettersson, were a further shot back in joint 4th place on 68s while England World No 1 Luke Donald opened his US PGA Tour season with a solid 2-under 70.

Sergio Garcia, who opened with a 69, is one shot in front of Donald in a group that included Stewart Cink and KJ Choi.

Thirty players were still out on the course including Padraig Harrington, who was one-over with two holes to play, when bad light saw the round suspended, but with South Africa's Rory Sabbatini, the winner here is 2006, closest to the lead at only 1-under with a hole to play, there isn't much chance of Mickelson losing his lead when the round is completed early on Friday morningTaylorMade Rossa Corza Ghost Putter


Still riding the rich vein of form that gave him the flawless final-round 64 that won him his 4th AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last Sunday, a still smiling Mickelson, the winner at Riviera in 2008 and 2009, mixed six birdies and one bogey in surging back to the top of the leaderboard.

And nothing delighted him more than his chip-in from 35 feet that earned him the unexpected birdie at the last that helped him shrug away his only mistake at the par-three 16th hole

"It wasn't one I was really trying to make," Mickelson told the media afterwards. "It was quick, it was downhill and I had to play TaylorMade Rossa Corza Ghost Putter about four or five feet of break.