Sergio Garcia answers questions after his second round at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass., on Saturday. STEW MILNE / Associated Press
NORTON, Mass. - A good start and a great finish was enough for Sergio Garcia to take the lead Saturday in the Deutsche Bank Championship.
For Phil Mickelson, just finishing in the same spot he started was a victory.
On another day of soft conditions and plenty of birdies on the TPC Boston, Garcia opened with five birdies in seven holes, and then made an 18-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole for a 7-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Roberto Castro and Henrik Stenson, the Swede who is popping up on every leaderboard.
Garcia was at 13-under 129, and it held up as the lead when no one could catch him on a cloudy afternoon with some light rain.
Tiger Woods, in the 1-2-3 grouping with Mickelson and Adam Scott, made a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a 67 and was six shots behind.
Mickelson, however, managed to steal the show with a 71.
Lefty went on the wildest ride at the TPC Boston, completely losing his swing during one stretch when he at times appeared closer to hitting Rhode Island than hitting a fairway. He went into the hazard to the left of the ninth fairway and into another one right of the 10th fairway. Only a tree kept his tee shot on the par-3 11th hole from disappearing into the woods.
He hit into the gallery to the left and into the gallery on the right on consecutive holes. He found the water on the par-3 16th.
And he still managed an even-par 71 by closing with back-to-back birdies, leaving him five shots behind and in a great frame of mind for the final 36 holes.
"I was playing terrible and I shot even par," Mickelson said.
"I could have easily shot myself out of the tournament, knocking them in the hazard I don't know how many times," he added. "If I go on and play the way I believe I am going to this weekend, I am going to look back on those nine holes as the key to the entire tournament."
The cut was at 1-under 141, ending the season for some players who have no chance of being in the top 70 in the FedEx Cup to advance to the third playoff event. Woods was among 29 players still within six shots of the lead at the halfway point.
Woods didn't feel as though he got much out of his round, and a radio reporter suggested he might be capable of something better than 65 if he puts it all together.
"There's going to have to be to get back into this thing," Woods said. "There's so many guys up there that are 9-under par or better. There's a ton of guys up there. It's going to take a couple of low rounds."
Original Print Headline: Garcia grabs lead in Boston
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