Live leaderboard: Round 2 of Honda Classic

LA QUINTA, Calif. – A World Golf Hall of Famer, the Desert Classic’s most consistent contender and a 31-year-old rookie will meet in Sunday’s final group of the Desert Classic. Phil Mickelson said he was rusty at the start of the week. Three days later, he shot the second-lowest 54-hole score of his lengthy career, a 22-under 194 (60-68-66). He’s trying to become just the third wire-to-wire in the Desert Classic’s 60-year history. He has a two-shot lead over Adam Hadwin, who’s accustomed to late Sunday tee times on PGA West’s Stadium Course. Adam Long, who’s making his sixth PGA TOUR start, is 19 under par after shooting his second 63 of the week. Mickelson is seeking the 44th win of his Hall of Fame career. He has converted 25 of 39 54-hole leads into victory, but this is just the second time since 2013 that he has started Sunday with a lead. He held a two-shot lead entering the final round of the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but shot 72 and lost to Vaughn Taylor by one shot. “I just love being in contention, having a chance to win, being in the final group, feeling the nerves, feeling that excitement, the opportunity,� Mickelson said.. “It’s really fun.� Hadwin is 79 under par at this event since 2016. No one else has come close to matching him over those 15 rounds. Mickelson is 58 under. Only Bud Cauley, who missed the cut, stands between them (59 under). “I’ve had a chance these last few years now,� Hadwin said. “I’ve been close.� In the last three Desert Classics, he’s finished no worse than sixth. He’s shot seven consecutive rounds of 68 or lower here, going 40 under in that span. On Sunday, they’ll face the toughest course among the trio in use this week. Pete Dye built PGA West’s Stadium Course as a West Coast sequel to TPC Sawgrass. He was given orders to build the hardest golf course in the world. The course isn’t nearly as terrifying as when it opened in the 1980s, but there are still enough water hazards and deep bunkers to keep players on their toes. MUST READS: Round 3, Desert Classic The field has averaged 70.4 strokes on the Stadium Course this week, but there have been 64 scores of double-bogey or worse, as well. There aren’t any hazards in the short grass, though. Hadwin hit all 18 greens in his 65 on Thursday at the Stadium Course. Mickelson has made just one over-par score this week despite missing half his fairways over the last two rounds. He was bogey-free at the Stadium Course on Saturday while hitting just six fairways. Mickelson, who’s second in driving distance this week, said it’s just part of his plan. “I played OK. My goal or game plan of playing the Stadium Course is to actually hit drivers and to try to bomb it down there as close to the greens as you can,� he said. “It’s a course you don’t have to be perfect on. You have to hit a lot of good shots in certain spots, but if you miss it properly, you can still play this golf course. “I feel like I don’t have to be perfect. I can come out, play aggressive, which is how I like to play, try to crush drivers and get it down as close as I can to the greens and see if I can make some more birdies.� Long will round out the final threesome. He’s 205th in the FedExCup after missing three of four cuts this season (and finishing T63 in his other start, at the Safeway Open). “It will be fun,� he said. “It will be exciting. It will be a challenge. It will be tough.�

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During his career, Woods has reigned supreme eight times as a professional at Arnold Palmer’s place, and before these wins, there was also the U.S. Junior Amateur title in 1991, where Tiger won for the first time at Bay Hill. As the 45-year-old continues his recovery from his serious car accident suffered last week, here’s a look back at Woods’ five greatest shots at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the clubs he used for each one. 5. 2012 (final round): Approach to No. 8 At the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Tiger was looking to end a two-and-a-half-year winless streak, on what was a windy Sunday with greens and pins that Woods would afterwards describe as the most difficult he had ever experienced at this event. On the treacherous eighth hole, Woods held a two-stroke lead. Sitting in the middle of the fairway with the pin on the left side guarded by the pond in front of the green, Woods, who would often lean on his cut shot during his time working with Sean Foley, struck a high draw. The ball landed softly on the front portion of the green and rolled to within 5 feet of the cup. The bold shot paid off and gave Woods a three-stroke advantage, and he would go on to secure his 72nd PGA TOUR win and begin his ascension back to World No. 1. Club Used: Nike VR Pro Blade 8-iron with a True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shaft. 4. 2009 (final round): Third shot to No. 16 Tiger began the 2009 final round at Bay Hill five strokes adrift of playing partner Sean O’Hair. The 16th hole in 2009 was a challenging par 4 (now plays as a par 5), and it looked to be advantage O’Hair after Woods was forced to pitch out following a wayward drive. However, O’Hair gave the initiative back to Woods when he found the water guarding the pin at the front of the green. Faced with a tricky 85-yard wedge shot to the flag for his third, Woods aimed 25 feet away from the hole toward the archway on the green, causing the announcers in the booth to question the line he was taking. As Woods’ pitching wedge landed at the top of the archway and spun back to just a couple of feet from the hole, the announcers quickly laughed off how they had foolishly questioned Woods’ thinking, saying: “I think he knows what he’s doing!” Club Used: Nike Victory Red 60-degree wedge with a True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shaft 3. 2001 (final round): Approach to No. 18 Back in 2001, Woods and Mickelson were locked in a tense battle on Sunday at Bay Hill. With Lefty in the house at 15-under par, Woods needed a par on 18 to force a playoff or a birdie to win. However, a birdie seemed extremely unlikely after the 15-time major champion pulled his tee shot into the rough. While many players would have played safe out to the left and try and salvage par from there, Woods attempted what Johnny Miller described as a ‘hero shot’ over the water and rocks to a tucked pin. Woods striped his 5-iron into the heart of the green and then curled his birdie putt into the cup before celebrating with his signature uppercut fist-pump. All Mickelson could do was applaud from the side of the green. Club Used: Titleist 681T (Endo Forged) 5-iron with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shaft. 2. 2009 (final round): Final putt At Bay Hill in 2009, Woods was searching for his first win since undergoing reconstructive surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee the previous summer. After Woods’ stunning wedge shot into 16 (No. 4), a bogey on 17 had brought him back into a share of the lead with O’Hair. On the 18th hole, Woods was left with a 16-foot birdie putt for the victory as the light faded over Bay Hill. Woods backed off the putt due to a shout from the crowd, went through his routine once again, and then poured the left-to-right putt into the hole to spark wild celebrations between him and Steve Williams. Nine months after his surgery, Tiger was well and truly back. Club used: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS 1. 2008 (final round): Final putt Tiger Woods entered the 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational playing some of the best golf of his life, having won seven of his last eight PGA TOUR events. At Bay Hill that year, looking to keep the perfect season dream alive, Woods was embroiled in a battle for the ages, and once again, it all came down to the 72nd hole. Tied with Bart Bryant on the 18th hole, Woods left himself an immensely difficult 24-foot birdie putt above the hole with a severe break from left to right. Tiger’s putt started out to the left before turning towards the hole and dropping right in the middle of the cup with the perfect pace. ‘Hello, Ben Hogan!’ was the famous call from the tower as a fired-up Woods ripped off his hat and threw it to the ground in an outpouring of joy to celebrate his 64th PGA TOUR victory. Woods was 0-for-20 in putts over 18 feet that week before the 72nd hole, but in true Tiger fashion, when it mattered most, he would summon up the magic needed to find the back of the hole. Club used: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS

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Quick 9: Spice up FedEx Cup by making finale winner take all

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