When Jonathan Byrd stepped outside his rented house at Pacific Palisades, CA Thursday morning he was greeted by a blast of wind that told him it was going to be a long day at the office.

So Byrd was in grind-mode as he stepped to the first tee at Riviera Country Club for the opening round of the Northern Trust Open.

It served him well.

Two strokes later, he was putting for eagle. And while he missed his 20-footer and settled for birdie, he was off and running on a three-under round that carried him to a tie for fourth place, two shots behind leader Phil Mickelson, who cruised to a five-under par 66.

Playing in the same opening group as Mickelson, both Kyle Stanley and Brandt Snedeker struggled – Stanley to a three-over 74 and Snedeker to a four-over 75. The two players had won the previous two PGA Tour events, prior to Mickelson’s victory last week at Pebble Beach.

After birdying the par-four third hole, Stanley had a string of bogeys at 4, 5 and 6, and then triple bogeyed the par-four eighth hole to turn at five-over. He played the back side in two-under, with birdies at 13, 16, and 17, and a bogey at 14.

Byrd, meanwhile, mastered the front nine in three-under, with birdies at 1, 3 and 7, and then played the back in even par, with birdies at 16 and 17 and bogeys at 11 and 18.

“I was pretty anxious about playing this golf course today because it was howling on top of that bluff, and it whipped all day,” said Byrd during his press-room interview. “I don't know if I was prepared for it, but I just kind of my approach to the golf course today was just to kind of keep it in play and kind of have a pretty conservative game plan.

“But once we got out there the greens were a little softer than I thought they'd be, and I just hit a lot of good iron shots. I kept it in play off the tee. Two bogeys, one three putt, and then a bogey on 18, which is kind of understandable. I played real sharp.”

The other former Clemson player in the field – Tommy Biershenk – carded a four-over 75 on Thursday.

In the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship – the Nationwide Tour’s season opener – Kevin Johnson shot a one-under 70, while Charles Warren had an even-par 71 and a Ben Martin a two-over 73.

Meanwhile, in the eGolf Professional Tour’s opener at Palmetto Hall Plantation on Hilton Head Island, Brent Delahoussaye, David May and Stephen Poole made the cut for the final two rounds.

Delahoussaye opens play on Friday in eighth place at six-under, after rounds of 71-67. May stands 27th at three-under (70-71) and Poole is at even par (73-71).

Elliott Gealy, Phillip Mollica and Frank Wrenn missed the cut.