INQUIRER Sports

LOS ANGELES -- American Phil Mickelson shot a final round 70 for a two-shot win over Jeff Quinney at the PGA's $6.2 million Northern Trust Open on Sunday.

Mickelson, who grew up in southern California, posted his first win of the season finishing at 12-under 272 at the Riviera Country Club course.

It was his 33rd career win and first victory at Riviera -- a tournament he first played as a 17-year-old high school student.

"It is pretty cool," said Mickelson, who earned 1.1 million dollars. "I've wanted to win here for a long time. It was a tough fight with Jeff. He played really well."

Mickelson duelled Quinney early in the round but he was the steadier of the two on the back nine.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods once against skipped the Riviera event, one of the few places he has been unable to dominate.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington and England's Luke Donald each fired 68s on Sunday to finish in a tie for third five shots behind Mickelson.

This was the second event this year that Mickelson put himself in a position to win.

At the FBR Open two weeks ago, Mickelson had a one-stroke lead after his final round, but J.B. Holmes made a birdie on the final hole to force a playoff, which he won on the first hole.

Last year at this event, Mickelson needed a par on the 18th hole to avoid a playoff.

He failed to do that and lost in a playoff to Charles Howell. This time, Mickelson minimized his mistakes and took a three-shot lead to the final hole.

"I had some solid shots on the back nine and Jeff had a couple of three-putts to give me the lead," Mickelson said. "I was able to not make any mistakes and hang on to win."

Mickelson began the day with a one-stroke lead and quickly doubled it when he reached the par-five first hole in two and two-putted from 35 feet for his birdie.

Going in the other direction was Quinney, who bogeyed the third hole after missing a seven-foot putt to drop to nine-under.

Quinney got it back on the sixth hole, when his tee shot on the par-three came to rest four feet from the hole.

It was the same hole he aced the previous day. Quinney also made a 16-foot birdie putt on No. 8 to get to within a stroke of the lead.

Mickelson made his first mistake of the day on the ninth hole when his drive went into the left rough. His approach on the par-four went short and to the right and he failed to get up and down for par.

Quinney took the lead when he made an 11-foot birdie putt on the
ninth hole, but he faltered a bit on the back nine.

When Mickelson reached the green in two on the par-five 11th and two-putted from 67 feet, it appeared he would regain the lead, but Quinney answered with a 21-foot birdie putt to remain tied.

Quinney fell one stroke behind after a bogey on 13, and his bogey on the following hole effectively cost him the tournament.

Facing a seven-foot putt for par -- he was 56-of-56 converting putts of that distance and shorter -- in the tournament -- Quinney missed, with, the ball lipping out of the left side of the cup.

Mickelson made his second bogey of the day on No. 15, failing to sink a seven-foot par putt, but Quinney could not save his own par, keeping the deficit two strokes.

It was Quinney's third consecutive bogey. He also bogeyed the 17th hole when he missed a three-foot putt and ended up shooting 1-over 37 on the back nine.