Former UCLA standout McCarron in second at NTO

Back in his days at UCLA, Scott McCarron said he was happy to shoot between 75 and 80 at Riviera Country Club.
He did much better than that during Thursday's opening round of the Northern Trust Open.
McCarron, 43, birdied his final hole of the day, the par-4 ninth, to shoot a 7-under 64 for sole possession of second place, one stroke behind defending champion Phil Mickelson.
"I don't know if I'd say (scoring) conditions are ever ripe to get Riviera, but ... the golf course is in great shape," McCarron said.
McCarron is finally getting back into shape after undergoing elbow surgery in 2006. That caused him to miss the entire 2007 PGA Tour season and limited his effectiveness last year, when he made just nine cuts in 22 events.
"I'm very healthy right now," said McCarron, who moved from Reno, Nev., to La Quinta this offseason to work on his game.
McCarron used to be one of the longest hitters on tour, but ranks 121st this season at 280.2 yards per drive.
"I'm short now," he said. "I was in the top 10 (in driving distance) for maybe seven years, but these guys hit it so much farther than I ever could dream of hitting. I mean, Dustin Johnson hits it 50 or 60 yards past me.
"I've got to be a little more crafty as I get older and I am hitting a lot straighter. I'm hitting a lot more fairways now and not going after the big bomb all the time. I've still maybe got a little extra gear, but it's more like a Volkswagen Beetle, as opposed to somebody's Ferrari. I am thoroughly amazed at how far these young guys are hitting it, but we're getting bigger and stronger athletes playing golf."
McCarron predicted UCLA would beat Washington in a blowout in Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion and plans to have dinner Friday with 30 or more fraternity brothers, including fellow PGA pro Brandt Jobe, who also went to UCLA in the mid- to late-1980s.