Mickelson on Top at Doral

Phil Mickelson was atop the leaderboard for the ninth consecutive round in stroke play, and no one was terribly surprised -- least of all, the guy chasing him Friday in the Ford Championship at Doral.

Mickelson showed up at the course in Miami nearly five hours before his tee time to fine-tune a game that appears to need no work, then played the Blue Monster without a bogey for a six-under 66 that gave him a two-shot lead over Billy Andrade.

“I don’t know what the big hoopla about him is,” Andrade said after a 66. “He’s one of the best players in the world. He has been one of the best players in the world since he was 12. When you get guys that are that talented and you get on rolls, they’re obviously tough to beat.”

Mickelson’s 14-under 130 total is one short of the 36-hole record at Doral.

“The only thing that matters is leading on Sunday,” he said.

Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal had a 69 and was at 11-under 133, and Billy Mayfair birdied three of the last four holes for a 67 and was another shot back.

Tiger Woods went eight consecutive holes without a par -- that included three straight bogeys for the second time this year -- for a 70 that put him in a pack of players at nine-under 135 that included No. 1 Vijay Singh, David Toms and defending champion Craig Parry.

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Annika Sorenstam shot a two-under 70 in her first competitive round of the year, leaving her four strokes behind leader Hee-Won Han in the MasterCard Classic near Mexico City, the first LPGA Tour event in Mexico since 1975.

“I thought it went well. I hit a lot of good shots. I hit 15 greens,” said Sorenstam, the Swedish star who led the tour with eight victories last year.

“I’m very happy with my start.”

Han, from South Korea, had seven birdies in a 66 to take a one-stroke lead over compatriot Young Jo. Han had five birdies in her opening nine holes, including three in a row on 14, 15 and 16.

Mexican star Lorena Ochoa opened with a 71, capped by a birdie on the final hole that sparked a massive cheer from the gallery. Karrie Webb, coming off a victory in the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia, had a 71. Jennifer Rosales, the SBC Open winner last week in Hawaii, shot a 74.