By Mark Lamport-Stokes PACIFIC PALISADES, California, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Phil Mickelson ranks Riviera Country Club as one of his favorite venues on the PGA Tour, even though it took him almost a decade to discover the art of playing the par-71 layout. Known as a classic shot-maker's course, Riviera continually vexed Mickelson as he missed four cuts in eight PGA Tour appearances here between 1988 and 2001.

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Already a three-times champion at the Masters, Phil Mickelson served notice he will again be among the front-runners for the year's opening major by completing a wire-to-wire victory at the Phoenix Open in Arizona on Sunday. The American left-hander, who has made a career habit of winning in the first four months of the PGA Tour season, triumphed by four shots after closing with a four-under-par 67 at the TPC Scottsdale.

Phil Mickelson fired a four-under par 67 on Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the $6.2 million US PGA Phoenix Open, capturing his 41st career title by four strokes. It was the first time a player led every round alone on the way to a tour title since Rory McIlroy's breakthrough major triumph at the 2011 US Open. Together with a dominant victory a week ago by Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines, Mickelson's triumph showed that two of the game's most popular stars are in top early season form with the year's first major looming in April at the Masters.

Phil Mickelson birdied his last four holes en route to a seven-under 64 Saturday to grab a six-stroke 54-hole lead in the US PGA Tour $6.2 million Phoenix Open. Mickelson, who flirted with a 59 before settling for a first-round 60 and carded a second-round 65 that was marred by a double bogey at 18, had no late lapse on Saturday. After two birdies on the front nine, he added another at the par-five 13th, then stormed home with birdies at 15, 16, 17 and 18.