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Square grooves or not, Riviera yielded plenty of red scores in the first round of the Northern Trust Open on Thursday.

The equipment ban made headlines during the week as Phil Mickelson was criticized by Scott McCarron for using 20-year-old Ping wedges at least week’s PGA Tour stop in San Diego. Pings dating prior to 1990 are currently legal via loophole, though all other clubs with square grooves have been outlawed for the 2010 season and beyond.

So to quiet the murmurs, Mickelson left the questionable clubs at home.

The two-time defending champion could have used some extra bite Thursday as he opened with a one-over par 72, but it had more to do with his putter. Mickelson missed par putts at 15, 16 and 18 to spoil a round that stood at three-under through 11 holes.

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D.A. Points parlayed a seven-under par 65 on Friday to grab a share of the lead at the midway point of the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.

The 33-year-old started his second round on the 10th hole of the South course at Torrey Pines and rolled in a seven-footer for a birdie on his final green of the day. Points made up 15 spots Friday and is seeking his first PGA Tour victory to go with his four wins on the Nationwide circuit.

Tied atop the leaderboard with Points is Ryudi Imada, who shot a 68 on the South course to improve from Thursday’s second-place standing. Imada opened his round with a birdie three on the par-four first hole and played a bogey-free round.

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