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Early exit for Mickelson at Farmers

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Tiger Woods is gone from Torrey Pines, and Phil Mickelson joined him Friday by missing the cut.

In a tournament that quickly lost a big chunk of its star power, Harris English played another bogey-free round for a 6-under 66 on the North Course to build a two-shot lead Friday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Locally, Steve Wheatcroft, a Trinity High School graduate, shot a 5-under 67 to reach 4-under par. He is tied for 21st. Wheatcroft birdied the final two holes.

Mickelson, who worked hard to get into shape in the offseason and was as optimistic as ever, was done in by his short game. The best he could managed was a 72 on the North Course, and he missed the cut by two shots. It was the first time since 2002 that Mickelson missed the cut in back-to-back weeks on the PGA Tour.

Woods withdrew after 11 holes Thursday, citing tightness in his lower back. For the first time, Woods and Mickelson failed to make the cut in the same tournament in consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour.

“My putting is beyond pathetic,” Mickelson said. “And if I can’t get back to the levels of 2013, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Because this is very frustrating.”

Mickelson is not playing the last two weeks of the West Coast Swing because his kids are on spring break.

Justin Rose, at No. 5 the highest-ranked player at Torrey Pines, also shot 70 on the North and missed the cut. So did Hideki Matsuyama, who three-putted for par on the closing hole on the South Course to miss by one shot; Jordan Spieth, who needed an eagle on the 18th on the South to make the cut and hit it in the water; and Dustin Johnson, playing for the first time since a six-month break to get professional help for “personal challenges.”

Even those who are still around had a tough time, particularly Phoenix Open winner Brooks Koepka.

He reached the par-5 18th in two on the South Course and a two-putt birdie would have put him three shots out of the lead. Koepka missed his 6-foot birdie attempt, and then missed a pair of 2-foot putts and wound up five-putting for double bogey. That gave him a 74 and he was six shots behind.

Two tied in LPGA: Brittany Lincicome and Sun Young Yoo topped the leaderboard in the wind-swept Bahamas LPGA Classic when second-round play was suspended because of darkness.

Three share lead at Allianz: Tom Pernice Jr. closed with a double bogey for a 6-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead in the Allianz Championship with Paul Goydos and Bart Bryant.

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