Vincent Publishing - Index

Vincent Publishing - 2008 Northern Trust Open - Index

Rich Beem, who trailed by as many as seven shots on the back nine, finished with
a 65 that included his memorable reaction to a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th when
he won a new, red sports car. He was two behind at the end of the warm and wild
afternoon. Five other players, including
Els and Furyk, were within four shots of
Mickelson.
PHOTO: STEVE GRAYSON/WIREIMAGE.COM
He reached all three par 5s in two, the most impressive the
17th. Coming off his only bogey of the tournament, when
he pulled his tee shot into a back bunker on the par-3 16th,
Mickelson hit a bullet of a tee shot down the left side of the
fairway some 310 yards. He followed that with a hard 3wood
that drew slightly and found the middle of the green,
rolling to 15 feet.
“I just flushed it,” Mickelson said. “It was a nice way to finish.”
“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.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Harrington found himself
scrambling from the start. He three-putted for bogey on No.
10 when he missed a four-foot putt, but every mistake was
followed by birdies on par 3s and good wedge play.
Howell was in the first group off and matched Mickelson
for the best score of the day, playing bogey-free for a 65.
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2008 OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT MAGAZINE
Howell made four straight birdies around the turn, two of
them par 5s.
“The best thing I can do is keep giving myself chances,”
said Howell, who was at 8-under 134.
He gave himself plenty of chances around the turn, facing
a three-hole stretch of two par 5s. Howell not only took
care of the par 5s, he threw in birdies on the 18th with an
8-iron into 15 feet and on No. 2 with an 8-iron into 10 feet.
“Riviera is an interesting golf course,” he said. “There’s a
few birdie holes out here and then all of a sudden, you
have a run of a few holes were par is a good score. So
playing holes No. 17 and No. 1, you really have to make
birdie on those holes.”
3
Mickelson Stumbles, Still Leads Harrington
by One
Mickelson had a three-shot lead and looked unstoppable.
Then came the 30-inch par putt that 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
the kind of scramble that usually takes place at Riviera.
Lefty wound up with a 69, giving him a one-shot lead over
Harrington (70).
Rich Beem, who trailed by as many as seven shots on the
back nine, finished with a 65 that included his memorable
reaction to a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th when he won a
new, red sports car. He was two behind at the end of the
warm and wild afternoon. Five other players, including Els
and 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, who made 10 birdies on Thursday and six on
Friday, managed only two birdies in the third round. He
was hoping the sequence didn’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. He