Mickelson seizes share of lead in Houston

Defending champion Phil Mickelson, resuming his rain-disrupted first round, seized a share of the lead Friday at the Houston Open with a seven-under par 65. Mickelson joined two-time major champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina and Sweden's Carl Pettersson atop the leaderboard after one round, with the second round getting underway immediately after. Both Cabrera and Pettersson completed their rounds on Thursday morning before afternoon thunderstorms halted play. Mickelson, playing in the featured group with Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and Fred Couples, had completed just three holes when play was suspended on Thursday evening. More than an inch of rain in a matter of hours had left puddles on several Redstone fairways making the course unplayable. On Friday morning, Mickelson birdied both par fives on the front nine, one-putted eight straight greens and drained a 10-foot birdie putt at 12. After a bogey at the par-five 13th Mickelson bounced back with a birdie at the par-five 15th and holed out from off the green at 16. He was slated to begin his second round an hour after completing the first. Mickelson, Pettersson and Cabrera were one stroke in front of England's Greg Owen and Americans Jeff Maggert, Ricky Barnes and John Huh, who all shot 66 in the first round.