Saturday March 27, 2010, 01:11 AM

South Africa's Ernie Els grabbed a share of the halfway lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational - he just wasn't quite sure how he did it.

"It has been kind of weird ... a little surprised that I'm in the lead," Els said on Friday after a three-under 69 for seven-under 137.

"But we're there," he added. "It should be an interesting weekend.

Els wasn't the only player a bit surprised to find himself in the four-man leading group.

Davis Love didn't make a par until his 10th hole. He finished with six bogeys and seven birdies and his one-under 71 was good enough for a share of the lead.

Ben Curtis rebounded from a bogey-bogey start to card a 67 and DJ Trahan posted a 68 to join the leaders, who were one shot in front of Phil Mickelson (67), South African Retief Goosen (67) and Kevin Na (70).

Els got a break - sort of - at the sixth, where he saved par by chipping out of shallow water.

"That was a big break, because if that ball was another yard left it would have been into the deep end," said Els, who took his shoes off and waded in to play the shot. "The ball was lying there and I could play it, so I chipped it out of the water, and then hit a four-iron just right of the green and up-and-down for par. That was big."

Another up-and-down at seven, from a plugged lie in a bunker, kept things going and he gained mometum with four birdies in five holes from the eighth.

Love's seven birdies included two from off the green - when he holed out a chip and a bunker shot.

"If you would have said Wednesday night whenever I was leaving the course, 'You'll be seven-under after two days and right at the top of the leaderboard,' I'd have taken it," said Love, who needs a victory in the next two weeks go get into the Masters. "It's right where you want to be. You want to be in the hunt."

Mickelson's round was a wild ride that included finding water twice off the tee and holing out from a fairway.

"I have a tendency to have up-and-down rounds like that," Mickelson said. "But it's fun. I enjoy trying to create shots and hit shots and take on some of these pins and make birdies, and unfortunately, I tend to make a few mistakes at times."

Putting was key including putts for bogey after he drove into the water the third and sixth.

"Those bogey putts were every bit as important as some of the other stuff," Mickelson said.

Mickelson didn't need his putter at the eighth, where his wedge from 136 yards landed short of the hole and went in for an eagle.

"You don't expect that to happen," he said. "You try to hit good shots and have birdie putts, but when one falls like that, it's just a bonus."

© 2010 AFP/sid