Northern Trust Open 2012: Bill Haas Defeats Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley In Playoff

Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley briefly gave up the lead to Bill Haas at the end of nine holes on Sunday. Through 14 holes, the pair find themselves in the exact same spot as they were at the start of the day, tied atop the standings at the 2012 Northern Trust Open.

Both have shot even on the day to hold Bill Haas at bay by one stroke for the moment. Haas shot 3-under through 10 holes to take the lead, but back-to-back bogies on holes 12 and 13 knocked him from the top. Five players are tied in fourth place, led by a hard-charging Sergio Garcia who finished at 7-under for the day and 5-under for the tournament.

This is like something out of Happy Gilmore. Phil Mickelson’s tee shot on No. 15 during Saturday’s third round of the Northern Trust Open was way left, never even sniffing the fairway. But after a quick hop off a nearby tree, it landed in just about the most amazing place possible.

Watching the video, Mickelson’s drive never actually has a chance -- it was off to the left from the start. But from the overhead shot, the ball can be seen bouncing back toward the gallery. As it comes to a stop, a fan can be seen lying down near the ropes -- almost looking like he was injured.

Looking for back-to-back wins, Phil Mickelson is even through ten holes at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera on Saturday and is tied for first with good friend and fellow bomber Dustin Johnson. Both Butch Harmon proteges are at 6 under and maintain a one-shot lead over a host of players which include reigning PGA Champion Keegan Bradley. Uncharacteristically for Phil, his round has been relatively steady with seven pars in the first nine holes. A birdie at Riviera’s famous opening hole looked to be indicative of yet another low number from Mickelson, but he has evened out over the front nine.

Johnson, on the other hand, is five under on the day and has chased down Mickelson. He has played 15 holes so far, looking for his first win of the season after being in contention last week at Pebble Beach in a tournament he had previously won twice. The young superstar has a win in each of his four years as a professional, but did not win until late last season in a condensed three-round Barclays. Johnson struggled at the President’s Cup in Australia but a win in the first month of the season could be a huge boost and kick-start a dominant year.

Fresh off a win at the 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Phil Mickelson is at the top of the leader board after one round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.

The first round was suspended due to darkness and will resume at 7 a.m. local time on Friday. Television coverage will begin at 3 p.m. ET on the GOLF channel