Phil Mickelson squandered a five-stroke lead before coming from two behind with three holes remaining to win the Northern Trust Open by a shot on Sunday. The American left-hander, who hit only nine of 14 fairways and reached just nine of 18 greens in regulation, birdied 16 and 17 before parring the last to complete a successful title defense at Riviera Country Club. Mickelson, who had charged four ahead of the chasing pack with a blistering 62 on Saturday, clinched his 35th PGA Tour victory with a 15-under total of 269. American Steve Stricker, two shots ahead with two holes to play, had to settle for second place after bogeying the final hole for a 67. PGA Tour veteran Fred Couples, champion here in 1990 and 1992, carded a 69 to finish at 13 under in a tie for third with Argentina's Andres Romero (70) and South Korean K.J. Choi (69). “I'm pleased to be sitting here as the champion,” Mickelson told reporters after earning the winner's check for $1.134 million. “It was not easy. The bad of it came in that I need to become a better front runner when I get a lead. I had a five-shot lead and let it slide,” the 38-year-old said after becoming the 7th player to win the event in successive years. The final round appeared to be set up for a victory march for Mickelson, especially when he rammed in a 34-foot eagle putt at the par-five first to briefly stretch his lead to six. However, his playing partners Couples and Romero both birdied the hole to trim his advantage to five. Mickelson then bogeyed three of the next six holes, duffing a chip from just off the green at the par-four second, hitting a tree with his drive at the third and missing the fairway off the tee at the seventh for his lead to be cut to two. He was fortunate not to drop another stroke at the eighth, where he ended up in trees and struck branches with a bold recovery through a narrow gap before parring the ninth to enter the back nine two ahead of the chasing pack. Stricker birdied the par-five 11th and the par-four 12th, where he sank a six-footer, to draw level with Mickelson at 15 under. Mickelson surrendered the lead with a three-putt bogey from long range at the 12th before dropping another shot at the par-three 14th where he ended up in a bunker. South African Rory Sabbatini's hopes of repeating his 2006 triumph effectively ended with a double-bogey at the 16th, where Mickelson, playing one group behind, birdied after hitting his tee shot to five feet. Stricker then bogeyed the last, after missing the fairway off the tee and failing to reach the green in two, to drop back into a share of the lead with Mickelson at 14 under. However, Mickelson edged ahead with another birdie at the par-five 17th, reaching the green in two and confidently two-putting from 70 feet. Although he narrowly missed the green to the right with his approach at the par-four 18th, he putted up to six feet and knocked in the par putt to seal victory.
