Third-place finish does have its rewards

With Phil Mickelson and Jeff Quinney turning the Northern Trust Open into a two-man show, a tournament within the tournament developed.

The race for third place took on a life of its own as six players finished within two strokes of Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald, who shared third at seven under.

“Everybody else is just trying to finish third,” said Steve Stricker, who ended up tied for 11th at four under.

Third place still gets third-place money – in this case, $359,600 – as well as FedEx Cup points and world ranking points, so the competitive fire doesn’t exactly wane when players are not in line for a title.

“That’s what it is when you don’t win,” Harrington said. “That’s what you’re thinking about.”

Mickelson and Quinney both attended Arizona State, though their paths never crossed because Mickelson graduated nine years before Quinney.

Still, Mickelson occasionally returned to school to practice, but Quinney always seemed to miss him.

“I remember being at the apartment and one of my roommates came back and said ‘Hey, Phil was at the range today,’ and I was so mad,” Quinney said. “At the time you looked up to superstars like that.”

Jason Gore was flirting with a top-10 finish for the second consecutive week, but a bogey at his 17th hole dropped him into a tie for 14th at three under.

Still, his four-under 67 equaled Matt Kuchar for the best round of the day and gave Gore, who lives in Valencia and went to Pepperdine, his best finish at Riviera.

“It’s real nice,” said Gore, whose previous best finish at Riviera was a tie for 57th in 2001. “Being a hometown event, this is like a fifth major to me.”

Gore hadn’t broken par at Riviera since the first round of that 2001 tournament. He said equipment changes last year combined with a fitness routine that has helped him lose 23 pounds have improved his play.

“I’m trying to get through the year without injuries or fatigue,” he said.

Players who have qualified for the Accenture Match Play Championships were asked about that tournament, which begins Wednesday in Arizona.

One of the more interesting questions was for golfers to compare the 64-man bracket with the NCAA basketball brackets and to name what school they would be if Tiger Woods were Memphis, ranked No. 1 in basketball.

“The winner of the play-in game,” said Scott Verplank.

Stricker, ranked No. 3 in the world, is seeded No. 1 in the Sam Snead Bracket.

“When the pairings came out, my wife looked at me and said I was overrated,” Stricker said.

Things were looking good for John Daly after his first-round 69 had him four shots out of the lead, but he followed with rounds of 74, 73 and 76 and finished tied for 75th, ahead of only Chez Reavie among players who made the cut.

Still, it was the first time Daly had played the weekend in five tour events this year. He made the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, but was among the players affected by the new cut rule. Daly, who made five consecutive bogeys while shooting 41 on his opening nine holes, made $11,656.

peter.yoon@latimes.com