(AP) -- Phil Mickelson came within a fraction of an inch of becoming the sixth player in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59 at a sanctioned event. Instead, he had to settle for an 11-under-par 60 that gives him the first-round lead at the Phoenix Open.
Mickelson needed to sink a 25-foot birdie attempt on his last hole to tie the PGA record, and the putt appeared on target until the final quarter-inch, when the ball caught the lip of the right edge of the cup and lipped out.
He matched the tournament record he already shared with Grant Waite and Mark Calcavecchia (kal-kah-VEK'-ee-uh).
Mickelson was four strokes ahead of Jeff Maggert, Padraig Harrington, Brandt Snedeker, Ted Potter Jr. and Ryan Palmer when play was suspended due to darkness.
Al Geiberger Chip Beck, David Duval, Paul Goydos and Stuart Appleby remain the only PGA players to shoot 59s.
Earlier in the day Vijay Singh withdrew from the event, citing a back injury.
That came after Singh admitted earlier in the week that he had used deer-antler spray, a product mentioned in a Sports Illustrated article about Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens.
The article said that Lewis sought help from a company which says its deer-antler spray and pills contain a naturally occurring banned product connected to human growth hormone.
Singh said he had no idea that it contained any banned substances.
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