Mickelson tied for lead, Langer shoots 68 with balky back

By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Phil Mickelson shot a 6-under 65 and season points leader Bernhard Langer battled through a balky for a 68 in the opening round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Thursday. Mickelson had seven birdies and a bogey to match Jim Furyk and Kirk Triplett for the lead in the PGA Tour Champions season finale at Phoenix Country Club. Langer arrived in the desert as the prohibitive favorite to win his sixth Schwab Cup, joining Furyk, Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez as the only players with a chance to win the season championship. Langer’s scenarios for winning his fifth Schwab Cup in seven years ranged from winning the Schwab Cup Championship to 35th, depending on how the other contenders finish.