In a multiprocessor computer system, a lock operation is maintained with a thread using non-atomic instructions. Identifiers are assigned to each thread. Flags in conjunction with the thread identifiers are used to determine the continuity of the lock with a thread. However, in the event continuity of the lock with the thread ceases, a compare-and-swap operation is executed to reset the lock with the same thread or another thread. Similarly, in the event there has been a collision between two or more threads requesting the lock, a compare-and-swap operation is executed to assign the lock to one of the requesting threads. Accordingly, prolonged ownership of a lock operation by a thread is encouraged to mitigate use of atomic operations in granting of the lock to a non-owning thread.