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FORT WORTH, Texas: Phil Mickelson survived a sluggish start to post
a five-under 65 and claim the third-round lead at the Crowne Plaza
Invitational at Colonial on Saturday.
Mickelson, the world No.2, started the day with
a one-stroke lead, but fell back early with a bogey at the second
hole.
He rallied, however, taking advantage of ideal
scoring conditions to play the back nine in 31 strokes and finish
his day with a flourish—a 17-foot birdie putt at the last that
gave him a 12-under total of 198.
“It was tough to be patient watching guys
shoot 4-or-5-under on the front nine and take off. All of a sudden I
go from leading to being three or four shots back,” Mickelson
said. “With the [lack of] wind, it played so much easier than the
first two days. For the most part it was a day where you could go
low and most guys did.”
After a par at the par-five first, Mickelson
dropped a shot at No.2 despite a massive tee shot that left him just
45 yards to the pin.
He righted the ship with a birdie at the sixth
and nearly holed out for an eagle at nine.
Then he birdied five holes with just one bogey
coming home.
Mickelson, who is playing at Colonial for the
first time since 2005, was one shot in front of Australian Rod
Pampling, who carded a 63 and Canadian Stephen Ames, who posted a 64
for 199.
South Africa’s Tim Clark was three shots
adrift after a 64 for 201.
Pampling’s was the day’s best score, and he
was on his way to something even lower before bogeys at 16 and 17,
which he followed with a birdie at 18.
At the par-three 16th, Pampling’s seven-iron
trickled over the green and he hit a poor chip, and a wayward drive
cost him a shot at the next before a tap-in birdie at 18.
“It’s nice to be up there with a chance to
win,” said Pampling, a two-time PGA Tour winner who lives locally
and plays at Colonial every month or so.
Ames lived up to his reputation as a shotmaker,
nabbing six birdies without a bogey to keep himself in contention
for a fourth US PGA Tour title.
“I made the same amount of birdies the first
two days,” he said. “I putted very well, hit some good iron
shots, which you’ve got to do out here if you are going to shoot
that kind of number I guess.”
Mickelson, owner of 33 PGA Tour titles, said he
expected a tough battle on Sunday.
-- AFP
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