DULUTH (Georgia), April 6: Phil Mickelson shot a four-under-par 68 on Friday to climb into a share of the second-round lead with overnight leader Steve Elkington in the BellSouth Classic.

World number two Mickelson and Australia’s Elkington stand on top of a high class leaderboard at 11-under-par with reigning U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington breathing down their necks just one shot back.

New Zealand’s Phil Tataurangui, who shot a blistering second-round 64, and Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik are two shots back at nine-under-par.

In total, 27 players are within six shots of the lead heading into the weekend, including reigning PGA champion David Toms and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn who both stand at eight-under.

Canada’s Mike Weir (seven-under), Fiji’s Vijay Singh (six-under) and Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie (five-under) are all close enough to mount a serious challenge over the final 36 holes.

Mickelson won this event two years ago, defeating Gary Nicklaus in a one-hole playoff after inclement weather shortened the event to 54 holes.

While Mickelson shares the lead, his 68 was a stark contrast to his bogey-free opening-round 65.

Mickelson totalled six birdies in the second round, but two bogeys prevented him from going lower.

Known for his aggressive play, Mickelson said he may have to throttle back his game a bit over the weekend, especially if the course continues to play more difficult and the greens become faster.

While Mickelson is attempting to win the BellSouth for the second time, the questions at this time of year are focused on the Masters.

Though Mickelson, 31, has won 20 times on the PGA Tour, he is continually dogged by the fact he has yet to win a major in 32 attempts.

Last year, Mickelson finished third at the Masters behind Tiger Woods and David Duval and was then runner-up to Toms at the PGA Championship in Atlanta.

Unlike Mickelson, Elkington will not be at Augusta National next week, the first time he has missed the tournament since 1990.

With rounds of 64 and 69 he is playing well enough to compete in the Masters, but did not qualify for the tournament.

The cut off date to qualify was March 11.

Elkington has had numerous physical aliments during his career, including hip and sinus problems.

Second round scores:

133 Steve Elkington (Australia) 64 69, Phil Mickelson 65 68

134 Retief Goosen (South Africa) 68 66, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 69 65

135 Phil Tataurangi (New Zealand) 71 64, Jesper Parnevik (Sweden) 66 69

136 Shaun Micheel 68 68, John Rollins 66 70, David Toms 68 68, Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 66 70, Steve Flesch 68 68

137 Jeff Sluman 68 69, Hidemichi Tanaka (Japan) 69 68, Mike Weir (Canada) 67 70

138 K.J. Choi (South Korea) 70 68, Bob Tway 67 71, Vijay Singh (Fiji) 69 69, Dudley Hart 66 72, Stuart Appleby (Australia) 68 70

139 Glen Day 68 71, Dennis Paulson 71 68, Scott McCarron 67 72, Rich Beem 70 69, Zach Johnson 68 71, David Frost (South Africa) 72 67, Craig Parry (Australia) 68 71, Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) 69 70—Reuters