Farmers Insurance Open, Round Two

Stanley tops leaderboard as Mickelson bows out

ESPN staff

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Phil Mickelson fell short in the second round © Getty Images

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Kyle Stanley maintained his excellent form to take a one-stroke lead at the halfway point of the Farmers Insurance Open, but fellow American Phil Mickelson made an early exit after missing the cut.

An opening 10-under 62 was always going to be tough to better, particularly on the slightly trickier South Course at Torrey Pines, but Stanley continued to impress and signed for a four-under 68 to move to 14-under-par.

Starting his second round at the 10th, Stanley appeared weighed down by nerves in the early stages, battling to the turn in level-par. However, he settled down thereafter and was rewarded for his measured play when draining four birdies coming in.

Brandt Snedeker fired a sizzling eight-under 64 to trail Stanley by a single shot heading into the weekend. Compatriot Martin Flores and South Korea's Sang-Moon Bae each carded a 67 on day two sit a further stroke adrift at 12-under.

Mickelson, meanwhile, was left to rue a horror first round of 77, with his second-round score of 68 leaving him three strokes short of the two-under cut. The left-hander sunk five birdie putts on Friday, including a sloped 10-footer on the 18th in an attempt to keep his tournament alive, but it was not enough to see him progress to the weekend.

However, the three-time champion of the event appeared untroubled by his early exit, claiming he remains comfortable with how he is striking the ball on the driving range.

"I don't feel like there's any one area that I feel bad about my game," Mickelson said. "It's just that I'm not bringing it from the practice session on to the golf course yet. I'm not sure why that is, but the good news is my practice sessions have been great in every area."

Justin Rose improved his prospects of a top-10 finish with a 68 on Torrey Pines' northern layout, as he moved to five-under for the tournament. While fellow Englishmen Greg Owen and Gary Christian did just enough to make the cut at two-under.