Corey Pavin, looking for his first PGA Tour victory in nearly three years, shot a six-under-par 64 yesterday to take a one-shot lead over John Cook in the MasterCard Colonial in Forth Worth, Texas.

But the biggest move of the day came from Phil Mickelson, who fired a seven-under 63, his lowest round of the year. His seven-under 63 took him out of danger of missing the cut and into a four-way tie for third at 135, just two shots behind Pavin.

Mickelson won last year's tournament, but has had a wildly inconsistent 1999 with as many missed cuts as top 10 finishes.

Cook shot a four-under 66 for his 134 total.

Jack Nicklaus made his return to competitive golf after a 10-month absence yesterday, shooting 74 in Bell Atlantic Classic in the US Senior Tour.