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Phil Mickelson shot a 7-under 65 and shares the early lead in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral on Thursday.

Consider this a slow start. It’s one thing to be six shots behind after the opening round, quite another when 35 players separated him from the top of the leaderboard, a familiar position for Woods at Doral.

“You are going to have days like today,” Woods said. “And I would be obviously a little bit more disappointed, a little more frustrated, if I had not played well. I felt like I hit the ball well, hit putts well, but they just didn’t go in. I have to be a little bit sharper tomorrow. Hopefully, those putts go in tomorrow and the score will be a little different.”

Sean O’Hair began his round with consecutive eagles and was among the group at 67. Henrik Stenson played a shot from the mucky water on the third hole after taking off everything but his boxer shorts and his golf club. He shot a 69.

One of the biggest cheers Woods heard in his group came on the 16th hole when he took his driver out of the bag to go for the green. It was his first all-out swing — he recoiled after contact — and it didn’t seem to bother him, except for where the ball landed. It was right, in the rough, and Woods could get it no closer than 20 feet.

Mickelson is putting a DVD on the market on short-game instruction, and he put on an exhibition. Lefty is possibly the best player in golf inside 100 yards, and his chipping was deft as ever. Perhaps no chip-in was as significant as the fourth hole, especially coming off a double bogey on the previous hole and having to take another penalty stroke.

But it was the whole package that made Mickelson so excited. Even when he was even par through eight holes, he knew it was coming.

“I felt going into this tournament that I was playing as well as I ever have, as far as I can remember,” he said. “From 50 yards in, my short game has never been this good. And I’ve never driven the ball this long and this straight without the fear of a big miss. My iron play is better than it has been in quite some time. And I expect that to improve as the week goes on.

“I am excited about the next three rounds.”