Four tournaments into his season, Phil Mickelson showed signs of turning the corner yesterday.

Mickelson, nowhere near the leader board since his collapse at the U.S. Open last summer, eagled his final hole at Poppy Hills for a 7-under 65 to share the lead with rookie John Mallinger and Nick Watney in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Whether this week marks the return of Mickelson won't be decided for three more days.

One thing was clear on a gray afternoon on the Monterey Peninsula in California was the return of the miserable conditions that have made this tournament infamous over the years. It was cold, wet and windy -- known as "Crosby" weather in these parts because of the years when Bing Crosby was the tournament host.

Mickelson and Watney played at Poppy Hills, the easiest of three courses in the rotation because it is the farthest from the Pacific Ocean and shielded by trees.

The best round belonged to Mallinger, a 27-year-old rookie who was on the wrong course at the right time. He was at Pebble Beach, which is exposed to the wind along the cliffs of the ocean. Mallinger, however, started his round on the 10th tee in the virtual calm of the morning, and gusts strong enough to topple a tree at Spyglass Hill didn't arrive until he had only five holes remaining.

Jim Furyk played his best golf in the worst conditions, making five birdies on the back nine at Spyglass Hill for a 67.

Other tournaments

TaylorMade-adidas Golf Match Play Championships: Roy Vucinich of Moon defeated Gary Anderson of Hampton, Va., 1-up to advance to the quarterfinals today at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Malaysian Open: Robert Rock shot an opening-round 6-under-par 66 for a one-shot lead in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He leads Indian rookie S.S.P. Chowrasia, who matched Rock with seven birdies before finishing with a 5-under 67 at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.

ANZ Australian Ladies Masters: South Korean Ahn Sun-ju shot an 8-under 64 that included 10 birdies to take a two-stroke lead after the first round in Gold Coast, Australia.

Notes

The U.S. Senior Open will be played at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle in 2010, the first year that Seattle-native Fred Couples will be eligible for the premier event in senior golf.