LOS ANGELES — Phil Mickelson learned as a junior golfer not to underestimate anyone.
And while the odds of Mickelson finally winning in L.A. looked as good as ever Saturday at the Northern Trust, where he shot a 1-under-par 70 for a one-shot lead over Jeff Quinney, two holes showed how much work remains to add Riviera to his West Coast collection of trophies.
One came at the par-3 sixth, where Quinney (67) hit a 7-iron he thought was headed for the bunker in the middle of the green, only to land just to the right and roll back into the cup for an ace. The other came at the end of the third round when Quinney holed a 35-foot birdie putt to close the margin to one stroke.
John Rollins lost momentum with consecutive bogeys and shot 69, leaving him five shots behind. Scott Verplank overcame a four-putt from 30 feet from the fringe at the par-5 first for a 71 that put him at 208, along with Stuart Appleby and Vaughn Taylor.
