Mickelson fires a 64 to take Players lead

Friday, March 22, 2002 | 9:37 a.m.

It was a Phil Mickelson kind of shot to close a Phil Mickelson kind of round.

With his ball sitting on packed sand inside a bunker, Mickelson curved an 80-yard shot around a tree, got it to land pin high, then spin hard left. The ball screeched to a halt, seven feet from the hole.

He sank the birdie putt, and closed his rain-delayed first round of The Players Championship in the lead this morning, at 8-under-par 64.

Tiger Woods made four straight pars to close his round at 1 under.

Play was delayed by rain for 2 1/2 hours on the Stadium Course on the TPC at Sawgrass on Thursday, forcing 74 golfers to finish the first round today.

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