LA QUINTA, Calif. — Phil Mickelson returned from a long layoff with a big mid-round run. PGA West's TPC Stadium Course came back strong, too, Thursday in the CareerBuilder Challenge.
Mickelson played a seven-hole stretch in 6 under at La Quinta Country Club, holing out for eagle on the par-4 eighth with a shot that spun back 15 feet. He chipped in on the next hole and added another birdie on 11, but made two late bogeys and finished with a 4-under 68 in his first start since the Presidents Cup in October.
Jason Dufner, Jerry Kelly, Jeff Overton and India's Anirban Lahiri shared the lead at 64.