LOS ANGELES — With darkness rapidly descending, Scott McCarron saw enough of the 18th green from 211 yards away to realize it would be one of the tougher shots he faced yesterday. The way his week is going, it turned into another birdie.

McCarron aimed his 5-wood toward the bleachers and watched it fade beautifully back toward the flag to about 10 feet, a final birdie in his round of 3-under 68 that gave him a two-shot lead over Steve Stricker and Tommy Armour III in the Northern Trust Open.

"I usually do my best work at night," McCarron said.

Phil Mickelson will need to do better on the weekend if he wants to successfully defend his title at Riviera Country Club. He was nine shots worse than his opening-round 63, but it was easy to see the upside after a 72 put him in the group only three behind.

"This is the first time I'm in contention heading into the weekend, and I'm excited about it," Mickelson said.

The last two groups finished in the dark, including two players whose PGA Tour debuts turned into short ones.

Ryo Ishikawa, the 17-year-old sensation from Japan, had a 71 to finish at 2-over 144 and miss the cut by three shots. Vincent Johnson, playing on the Charlie Sifford Exemption, bogeyed his last hole for a 74 to also finish three shots below the cut line.

Hawai'i's Dean Wilson, a Castle High alum, followed his opening 66 with a 72 for 138, while Punahou alum Parker McLachlin shot 72 and finished at 147.

ELSEWHERE

The ACE Group Classic: Vicente Fernandez and Don Pooley shot 4-under 68s yesterday to share the first-round lead in The ACE Group Classic at the new TPC Treviso Bay course in Naples, Fla. Jay Haas finished a stroke back after a two-stroke penalty for hitting a piece of pine straw in a hazard with his backswing.

Johnnie Walker Classic: American Anthony Kang, winner of last week's Malaysian Open on the Asian Tour, shot his second straight 5-under 67 yesterday to take a share of the lead after two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Classic at Perth, Australia. Kang has a 10-under 134 total on The Vines Resort course and is tied with Ireland's Damien McGrane (68).

Accenture Match Play: All 64 players who qualified for next week's Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana, Ariz., met the entry deadline yesterday, meaning Tiger Woods likely will face Brendan Jones of Australia in the first round. The brackets will not be final until Sunday evening.