STROKE OF THE DAY

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

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif.—Between a lingering respiratory problem, a playoff loss at the FBR Open, and a missed cut in his title defense at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Phil Mickelson’s 2008 West Coast Swing has had its share of ups and downs.

The world’s No. 2 player experienced quite a memorable up Sunday at the Northern Trust Open.

In what essentially amounted to a match-play scenario with final-group partner Jeff Quinney, Mickelson shot a 1-under 70 in the final round at Riviera Country Club to finish at 12-under par and win the tournament by two strokes.

“Riviera is a special place, a fun challenging golf course that’s withstood the test of time. It’s fun to play well here,” said Mickelson.

After starting the day one ahead of Quinney, Mickelson actually trailed the fellow Arizona State University graduate by a stroke after a two-shot swing on the ninth hole. But Mickelson promptly knotted the lead with a birdie on the short par-4 10^th, followed by another red number at the par-5 11^th.

Quinney also birdied the 11^th to keep pace, but a balky putter down the stretch led to four bogeys. Flatstick woes had eluded the Oregon native to that point – in fact, Quinney’s three-putt miscue on the 13^th hole marked the first time in 215 holes he had done so. It was the longest active streak on the PGA Tour.

Mickelson, on the other hand, drained a few putts on the back nine that kept him atop the leaderboard – most notably a six-foot par save on the par-3 14^th. He credits some of his success on the greens this week to Amy Alcott, a Santa Monica resident and Riviera member. Alcott gave the San Diego native some advice last year and met up with him again this year.

“[I liked] being able to pick her brain last year on the way some of the greens slope and putts break. She’s a neat lady,” added Mickelson.

This victory means Mickelson has now won each of the non-Hawaii full-field events on the West Coast Swing. Almost half (16) of his 33 career tour victories have come on this stretch of the schedule.

“I just have a great love for the West Coast and I’ve been fortunate to play well here,” he said.

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