Mickelson ran in a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 14, dropped another from 10 feet at 16. On a roll, he birdied from 25 feet on 17 and had a 4-footer on 18.
``I played solid throughout and didn't make a bogey,'' Mickelson said. ``I was able to play a good round in some tough conditions starting out, although the wind died down in the end.
``I like the golf course a lot,'' Mickelson added. ``It's very similar to what we see on tour in the U.S. The greens are putting beautifully. ... If you read them well you are going to make a lot of putts.''
Unlike Mickelson, many of the world's other top-ranked players struggled on Friday.
British Open champion Padraig Harrington and U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera each shot 72. So did Sergio Garcia.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen shot 74, Ernie Els had a 75, and Colin Montgomerie slipped to 78. Also, Niclas Fasth, who shared the first-round lead with Stadler, shot a 75 and was tied to drop into a tie for seventh at 5 under.
