Tiger, Phil in contention in San Diego

SAN DIEGO - Strong finishes by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson made them feel better about their chances at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where they are chasing leader Bill Haas.

Haas made eight birdies for a 6-under 66, giving him a two-shot lead over Anthony Kim going into the weekend.

Woods managed to stay in the game, surviving a couple of flubs. He had a 69 and was five shots behind, but with only 11 players ahead of him. Woods ran off four straight birdies early in his round, but he twice took two shots to get out of bunkers. He laced a 5-iron into 12 feet for birdie on the 16th, made a 20-foot par putt after a plugged lie in the face of a bunker on the 17th, then hit 5-wood from 248 yards over the water and onto the green on the par-5 18th, two-putting for birdie.

"It was a round that easily could have slipped away," Woods said.

Mickelson, with his wife mingling in the gallery this week for the first time since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2009, turned an ordinary round into a decent one with back-to-back birdies for a 3-under 69 and trails by three shots along with John Daly, who made a strong showing with a 69. - AP