Twelve months on from their terrific last round duel Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson looked on collision course again today when they returned to the Ford Championship at Doral in Florida.
Teeing off at the same time, but on opposite sides of the Blue Monster course, America's two great golfing rivals had 15 birdies between them.
Woods, who came from five behind last year, came in with an eight under par 64 just after Mickelson had completed a 65.
They stood first and second, but the day's play was not over and out on the course Hank Kuehne and Mark Wilson were also seven under with two and three holes to go respectively.
Not even finding the lake with his second shot to the long 10th could stop defending champion Woods in his tracks.
The world number one, who closed with rounds of 63 and 66 to pip Mickelson by one, escaped from the hole with a par, then birdied five of the next six - a run which included chipping in at the short 15th.
Mickelson, meanwhile, played the back nine first in 32, then picked up further shots on the first, fifth and sixth to join Colombian rookie Camilo Villegas, Rich Beem and Ryan Palmer on the seven under mark in the clubhouse.
Earlier, Padraig Harrington holed out from a bunker with his last shot of the day to begin with a four under 68.
The Dubliner, who reached the quarter-finals of the Accenture world match play championship last week despite struggling with his game, made up for three-putting the short fourth from only 18 feet with five birdies.
Harrington was playing with world number two Vijay Singh and last week's runner-up Davis Love and they all shone. Love also returned a 68, while Singh finished birdie-eagle-birdie for a 67.
