Mickelson among trio tied for lead

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Phil Mickelson finally showed signs of turning the corner Thursday.

Nowhere near the leaderboard since his collapse at the U.S. Open last summer, Mickelson hit 4-iron from 230 yards into 18 feet for eagle on his final hole at Poppy Hills for a 7-under 65 to share the lead with rookie John Mallinger and Nick Watney at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

"I didn't think it would take three tournaments to get to where I wanted to be," said Mickelson, playing for the fourth straight week. "But each tournament, I saw progress."

It was better to be at Poppy Hills than the other two courses in the rotation because it is the farthest from the Pacific Ocean and protected by tree-lined fairways. That's where Mickelson and Watney played.

-- AP