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Stricker, Johnson on top at rainy Riviera

Fri 5th, February 2010

Pacific Palisades, CA (Sports Network) - Steve Stricker fired a six-under 65 and shared the lead with Dustin Johnson when the second round of the Northern Trust Open was suspended Friday because of darkness.

Johnson aced No. 6 in the pouring rain at Riviera and was 10-under par through 16 holes, having made a bogey at the 15th to fall into a tie with Stricker for the lead.

Johnson and much of the afternoon wave of players will return to the course Saturday morning to finish the round.

Playing in a steady rain all day, Stricker took the lead in a morning group with a round that included just 22 putts and two birdies he made from off the green. After posting a 10-under 132, Stricker was happy to be inside.

"It was pretty miserable out there today," said Stricker. "It never really let up."

Bubba Watson, who will miss the cut, said on his Twitter page: "It was the toughest round of golf I have ever played. The best part is I am going home for 2 weeks."

The course held up, despite all the rain, and Johnson and Stricker turned the round into a two-man race. Only Andres Romero, who was seven-under through 15 holes when play was suspended, was within three shots of their lead.

Justin Rose (67), Tim Wilkinson (67) and Kevin Stadler (71) were at six-under 136, while Anthony Kim (66), Ricky Barnes (71) and Steve Marino (67) reached the clubhouse at five-under 137.

Phil Mickelson shot a five-under 66 -- six strokes better than the first round -- to climb 72 places on the leaderboard. The two-time defending champion said something finally "clicked" at the tournament where he is the leading all-time money winner.

"Even though the conditions were much more difficult, I played a lot better," said Mickelson, who has ditched his controversial wedge with square grooves, at least for this week.

Johnson, who held the first-round lead, posted two birdies in his first five holes and arrived at the 152-yard sixth still trailing Stricker by a shot. Using an eight-iron in the pouring rain, Johnson landed the ball a few feet past the cup and watched it spin back for a hole-in-one.

The ace moved Johnson a shot ahead of Stricker at 11-under par, where he remained as he collected eight consecutive pars. Johnson then bogeyed the 15th hole to fall back to 10-under. He made a par at the 16th, finishing up after the horn sounded to stop play.

Stricker said the conditions Friday at Riviera ranked among the worst he has ever played in. He holed a 15-foot putt from the fringe at No. 10 to save par on his first hole, and tried to remain patient the rest of the day.

It was easier said than done.

"You've got a lot of clothes on, you're wet -- it's just not as easy swinging on a day like today compared to a 70-degree, sunny day," said Stricker. "Your body feels different, the club feels different in your hands, so you're going to miss shots."

Around the turn, Stricker chipped in for a birdie at the 18th and then knocked his approach to about a foot for a birdie at No. 1 -- his 10th hole -- to gain a lot of momentum.

"From there I just felt like I was a little bit on a roll and felt like if I missed the green, I'd get it up-and-down," said Stricker. "I gave myself a couple birdie opportunities and made them, and just a lot of things went my way today."

Stricker made three more birdies to take the clubhouse lead. Among them was a 21-degree utility-club he nearly holed for an ace at the par-three fourth. The ball lipped out, and Stricker made the short putt for birdie.

"That's like stealing one," he said.

NOTES: Rocco Mediate, Jesper Parnevik and Chris Couch all withdrew Friday...Stricker bogeyed the 18th hole and lost to Mickelson by a shot last year...It was dark enough at 5:02 p.m. local time to suspend play.