STROKE OF THE DAY

"The players themselves can be classified into two groups- the attractions and the entry fees."

It may not be a four-stroke edge like he had at the start of Saturday, but for Phil Mickelson, at least it’s a lead.

Mickelson fired a 1-under par 70 on a difficult scoring day at the Northern Trust Open to hold a one-shot advantage over Jeff Quinney heading into the final round at Riviera Country Club.

“The pin placements were a little tougher and the greens were a little firmer; [it was] harder to get it close,” said Mickelson. “I played very well and certainly Jeff Quinney played very well. I think that we should have a fun day tomorrow.”

The world’s No. 2 player saw his lead evaporate fairly quickly in the third round. First, a bogey on the fourth sent him back to 9-under. Then, Quinney, who began the third round tied for second, birdied the fifth hole and stepped to the tee of the par-3 sixth just one shot off his playing partner’s lead.

Upon leaving the tee, Quinney found himself one shot ahead thanks to an improbable hole-in-one on the unique short hole – he pulled his 7-iron left toward the pot bunker in the middle of the green, but instead of ending in the trap, it landed just to the right of it and trickled slowly back and, eventually, into the hole.

“If you hit it [in that bunker] it’s automatic bogey. I definitely got away with one,” said Quinney, who also had a hole-in-one at last year’s Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Though Mickelson trailed when he strode up to the sixth green, a birdie of his own there brought him back even with Quinney.

“I thought that was as good of a response as I could have expected,” Mickelson said.

Two more birdies on the par-4 10^th and par-5 11^th again gave Mickelson a cushion as Quinney bogeyed the par 5 to fall two strokes back. But Quinney answered with a long birdie putt on the 18^th to draw within one heading into Sunday.

Both graduates of Arizona State University, Mickelson and Quinney had never played a competitive PGA Tour round together prior to Saturday in Pacific Palisades. Though they attended the Tempe, Ariz. institution at different times, they are friends and found plenty to discuss walking the course.

“We definitely talked a lot of sports today. We were talking about the Phoenix Suns and how Shaq’s coming in,” said Quinney, who still resides in Arizona.

Outside the two-horse race on the leaderboard, some of the Southland’s best have had solid showings at the Northern Trust.

Westlake Village’s Charlie Wi struggled with a 3-over 38 on the front nine, but leveled his score on the back with a long eagle putt on the par-5 11^th and two birdies to end at even par today and 4-under overall, tied for seventh place.

San Diego’s Pat Perez (71) and Orange’s Hunter Mahan (70) both stand at 1-under for the tournament and in a logjam for 29^th place.

Also in that logjam is La Quinta resident Fred Couples, who began Saturday in a tie for 23^rd place, but fell back after carding a 1-over 72.