DULUTH, Georgia -- Phil Mickelson got off to a fast start in his bid for a third BellSouth Classic title, tying the tournament's course record on Thursday, shooting a 9-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Australian Gavin Coles.

Mickelson birdied six of the first seven holes.

"It was a fun day, a fun start," Mickelson said. "I birdied the first couple of holes and was off and running.

"I looked up and I was 6 under through seven. That was a good feeling."

Mickelson has a one-stroke lead over Coles, whose career-best 64 set the morning pace.

Charles Warren is third at 7-under 65, followed by Joe Durant, Ian Poulter and Scott Parel at 66. Parel made a 21-foot birdie putt on 18 for his 66.

Mickelson, the defending champion, missed a six-foot birdie putt on the 18th green that would have set a new tournament record at the TPC Sugarloaf in this Atlanta suburb.

There have been three other 63s since the tournament moved to Sugarloaf in 1997: Tiger Woods, 1998; Duffy Waldorf, 1999; and Ben Crane, 2003.

In 1979, when the tournament was held at the Atlanta Country Club, Andy Bean shot a record 61. Of the group of four who set or shared course records for a round, only Waldorf did not win that year's tournament.

Mickelson said he wouldn't complain about settling for a share of the course record.

"I'll absolutely take it," he said. "I'm ecstatic with how it turned out. ... I hit it like I wanted to today. It was a fun round."

Mickelson, who also won the BellSouth Classic in 2000, compares the TPC Sugarloaf to August National, site of next week's Masters.

"I love it," said Mickelson of the Sugarloaf course. "It's very similar to Augusta. ... This course has very similar shot values and similar greens."

Coles, 37, is trying to keep his PGA TOUR card.

Coles' career-best finish in a TOUR event was a tie for seventh in the 2005 Shell Houston Open. He finished out of the top 125 in winnings last season and would have lost his card, but received a five-event medical exemption after missing about two months with a broken rib.

With the exemption, Coles has five 2006 events to earn the $267,213 needed to lift his 2005 earnings to the top 125. Through his first two events, Coles earned only $7,680.

A strong BellSouth Classic finish could mean Coles can remain TOUR for the rest of the year.

"It would be huge, no doubt about it," Coles said. "Everybody wants to play this TOUR. That's what we're all out here to do."

Coles said he feels no outside extra pressure.

"No one expects me to do any good," he said. "Any pressure would be what I put on myself."

Coles opened the day with a 6-under 30 on the back nine and added three birdies and his only bogey of the day on the front nine.

He said he was helped by warm and dry conditions.

Phil Mickelson tied the TPC Sugarloaf record with his 9-under 63 Thursday. (Badz/PGA TOUR/ WireImage)

"I don't hit it very long, but I hit it straight," said Coles. "These fairways are pretty generous on some holes. I like it when it's firm and fast and I can actually get it up there."

Last year, players battled cold, wet weather as the BellSouth was shortened to 54 holes.

Conditions were ideal on Thursday, setting the stage for low scores. There were 28 scores in the 60s, and 65 golfers finished below par.

Coles had only one top-10 finish in 22 events last year. He tied for 48th in the 2005 BellSouth Classic and missed the cut in 2003, his only other appearance here.

Brett Wetterich and David Howell are four shots behind Mickelson at 67.

Among eight players at 4-under 68 is Luke Donald. Retief Goosen, coming off a runner-up finish in THE PLAYERS Championship, is 3 under.

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