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Lefty Makes It A Left Coast Sweep

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The Associated Press

Published: February 18, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Phil Mickelson now has left his mark all over the Left Coast.

Mickelson held on long enough for Jeff Quinney to self-destruct on the back nine Sunday at Riviera, closing with a 1-under 70 to win the Northern Trust Open and complete an impressive collection of trophies in California and Arizona.

A year ago, Lefty was poised to win in L.A. until he bogeyed the 18th hole and lost in a playoff against Charles Howell III. This time, he was steady down the stretch as Quinney faltered, and won by two shots for his 33rd career victory, 16 of those on the West Coast.

"It's pretty cool," Mickelson said. "I've wanted to win this tournament for a long time."

Quinney's time will have to wait.

He holed four straight putts outside 10 feet around the turn and briefly held the lead. But his streak of 214 holes without a three-putt ended on the 13th to fall out of the lead, and Quinney soon fell apart.

He bogeyed three straight holes, and three-putted again from about 20 feet on the 17th for another bogey that allowed Mickelson a relaxing stroll up the fairway and toward the storied clubhouse atop Riviera.

Quinney made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole that only mattered on his card, an even-par 71.
British Open champion Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald each shot 68 and tied for third, although this was a two-man race from the start, and a one-man celebration over the final two holes.

Mickelson might never catch Tiger Woods in the world ranking, PGA Tour victories or in the majors, but for now he has something the world's No. 1 player has never done - win at Riviera.
Jack Nicklaus never won there, either.

Mickelson has won in every West Coast city of regular PGA Tour stops, from ocean courses of Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach, soggy La Costa Resort, desert courses in Phoenix, Palm Springs and Tucson, and now Riviera.

CHAMPIONS: Scott Hoch made it back-to-back wins.

Hoch made an 8-foot birdie putt on the last hole of regulation to get in a four-way playoff, then made another 8-footer on the first playoff hole to win The ACE Group Classic in Naples.

Tom Jenkins, Tom Kite and Brad Bryant had already made their pars before Hoch.

"I just said, 'Look, let's end it here. I don't want to play anymore, anything else can happen,'" Hoch said. "Nick Price had the same putt, but longer in regulation. He hit a good putt, but it dove on him."

Hoch's dived right in the hole to win $240,000 of the $1.6 million purse to go with the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, where Hoch caught fire on the back nine to win.

St. Pete Native Stiles Wins New Zealand PGA

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - St. Petersburg native Darron Stiles won the New Zealand PGA, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory in the tournament reduced to 36 holes because of rain Friday and Saturday.

Stiles, tied for the first-round lead Thursday after a 66, birdied five of the first six holes in the final round on the Clearwater course. After a bogey on the par-3 ninth, he finished with nine straight pars.

Because the tournament was cut to two rounds, the victory will not count as an official win and Stiles won't receive exempt Nationwide Tour status through 2009.

The 34-year-old former Florida Southern player has four official Nationwide Tour victories, the last in the 2006 Rheem Classic. He played the PGA Tour last year.

"Something you would say is that you want to win the first event of the year," said Stiles. "But to come out and win the third event or to win any time of the year is fantastic. From now on, I'll have that much more confidence the rest of the season."

New Zealand's David Smail shot a 66 to finish second at 9 under in the tournament sanctioned by the Nationwide and Australasian tours. American Rick Price (69) was another stroke back, and Australia's Adam Crawford (68) was 7 under.

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