Mickelson also had a 67, one of his best rounds of the year in the LIV Golf League considering Trump National Bedminster has not yielded low scoring this week. He was one shot behind when he bogeyed the par-3 14th and failed to birdie the par-5 15th.
Queenslander Smith picked up birdies on the 15th, the par-3 16th and the par-5 18th. He is at nine-under 133, four shots clear of Mickelson and Dean Burmester, who had birdies on three of his last five holes for a 68.
The 2022 Open Champion is ranked No.8 in the world and No.2 in the LIV standings, just 15 points behind three-time winner Talor Gooch.
Smith won his first LIV title last month in London, while Mickelson, one of the chief recruits when the Saudi-funded league got going in 2022, is still looking for his first LIV title. His last success was the 2021 PGA Championship, when he was 50 and…