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(Reuters) – Phil Mickelson, in his 2015-16 PGA Tour season debut, carded a pair of late bogeys to end the first round of the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California four shots back of Indian co-leader Anirban Lahiri.

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Mickelson, a five-times major winner making his first start since last October’s Presidents Cup, picked up six strokes over a seven-hole stretch from the fifth, including an eagle-two at the eighth, before a late stumble left him with a four-under 68.

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That left Mickelson in a share of 32nd place, four strokes back of Lahiri and Americans Jason Dufner, Jeff Overton and Jerry Kelly, who were level at eight-under par 64.

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Dufner, looking to rediscover the form that won him the PGA Championship in 2013, capped a flawless round with a birdie at his final hole, the par-four ninth, to grab a share of the lead.

Americans Colt Knost and Jamie Lovemark were a further shot back.

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Mickelson eagled the par-four eighth after his 110-yard approach hit the flag and spun right back into the cup. The eagle, along with a trio of birdies on the front nine, put Mickelson near the top of the leaderboard.

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USA Today via Reuters

He went on to pick up another stroke two holes later but fell back after bogeys at the 14th and 17th holes.

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“It was a fun start to the year. I’ve had a lot of time off, it was fun to get back into the swing of it,” said Mickelson. “I had a good solid round.”

Lahiri, who last October became the first golfer from India to play at the Presidents Cup, carded eight birdies in a flawless round at La Quinta Country Club, one of three co-hosting venues.

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Defending champion Bill Haas made a rousing start by holing out his second shot for eagle at the par-four first before going on to card a six-under 66 to sit in an 11-way tie for seventh.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Larry Fine)

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is EssentiallySports’ foremost authority on motorsport and a founding member of the outlet’s NASCAR desk. A Journalism graduate fluent in English and French, he brings over eight years of motorsports journalism experience covering everything from high-octane NASCAR battles to the finesse of Formula 1 and MotoGP. His extensive paddock access has earned him exclusive interviews with top names such as Know more

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