AUGUSTA, GA. >> Phil Mickelson had just crushed his drive at the difficult par-4 10th only to walk down the long, narrow fairway to see his golf ball had trickled into the first cut of rough on the left-hand side.
The four-time major winner stood over it for nearly 30 seconds, inspecting the white sphere as if it were an alien space rock that had just fallen from the sky, then carefully kneeled down to see how it was sitting in this fluffy lie.
He and caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay considered a couple of options as they discussed the yardage. Mickelson settled on an 8iron and told Bones it was going to fly 75 easily because of the lie. He placed his iron just behind the ball, picked it up briefly, then settled in comfortably before constructing the perfect swing.
Halfway there, Bones barked out, "CUT!"
Mickelson quickly responded, "It is!" as the ball landed on the green about 10 feet below the hole. The gallery guarding the right side of the green let Mickelson know the result with a roar that could be heard all the way to Amen Corner.
The 41-year-old sealed the deal with a birdie putt that began a back nine 30 that took Mickelson from the middle of the Masters pack to within one shot of the lead entering today’s final round.
He later talked about the 40-foot eagle putt at the par5 13th and the aggressive flop shot he pulled out of his KPMG hat that led to a birdie at the par-5 15th, but what really got the show started was the birdie at 10.
Mickelson shot a 6-under 66 Saturday that left him at 8-under 208 for the tournament, just one shot shy of Peter Hanson. The Swede had the round of the day with a 7-under 65 that dropped him to 9-under 207. They played together as part of a threesome on Thursday and Friday, but being in the final pairing on Sunday at the Masters is what Mickelson lives for.
"It was awesome," Mickelson responded when asked how it felt to shoot a 30 on the closing nine.
"There’s nothing more exciting than being in the final group on Sunday at the Masters because you have a chance, and that’s what we all want is that opportunity. Sometimes it works out and that’s great, and sometimes it doesn’t, but you still had that opportunity and that’s what we play and practice for."
In total, there are nine golfers within five shots of the lead, so it’s not exactly a match-play situation for Mickelson. He will be looking for his fifth major and fourth green jacket, which would tie him for second with Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters a record six times.
Had he not fought back on Thursday, Mickelson wouldn’t be in this position.
He was 4 over after 10 holes and was in danger of falling out of contention before righting the ship to open with a 2-over 74. He credits those closing eight holes as the reason he is back in the hunt.
"Sometimes you fall so far back, you make a nice birdie run and you just make the cut," Mickelson said. "But because I didn’t let the round slide, I salvaged a couple of birdies coming in, I left myself in a position where if I did get hot, I could move up the leaderboard, which is what happened the last two days."
Mickelson managed nine pars over his opening nine holes and trailed Hanson at the turn by two. Both golfers went low over the closing nine holes, with Hanson shooting a 31 to build the one-shot lead.
Unfortunately for Mickelson, he was in the group right behind Hanson and knew exactly what the 34year-old was up to every shot of the way.
"I didn’t feel as though he was helping me," Mickelson said. "I felt like, oh my goodness, I’ve got to keep birdieing to keep pace. I’m watching him hole putts on 15 from on the fringe, on 17; on 18 he knocks it a couple of feet. He just played phenomenally.
"It’s very difficult to try to follow those kind of birdies when you’re watching it right in front of you. And I was fortunate to get a couple there to stay within one."
