Augusta march

Mickelson taking control of Masters, should claim first major title

By Gary Van Sickle, SI.com

Phil Mickelson got off to a good start with three birdies on the front nine Saturday. Andrew Redington/Getty Images

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Well, Phil Mickelson, you're tied for the lead in the Masters going into Sunday, you're trying to finally get that monkey off your back and win your first major championship. How does it feel to have the formerly omnipresent Tiger Woods nowhere in sight?

Mickelson, answering this question at a Saturday evening press conference at Augusta National Golf Club, could not stifle a grin. He paused briefly for dramatic effect. "Well," he said, "it doesn't suck."

The room broke up with laughter. If ever a Masters looked like it belonged to Phil Mickelson (and to be honest, it never has, even though he has finished third four times), it's this one.

It's not his tournament to win or lose, not by a long shot. He's tied with Chris DiMarco and has some formidable challengers in pursuit -- notably future star Paul Casey of England, who is two shots back; two-time Masters champ Bernhard Langer and two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els, both three back; and Padraig Harrington, Fred Couples and Davis Love III lurking six shots back.

If you're planning on watching the Masters on Sunday, by the way, turn on your TV an hour sooner. A chance of showers in the morning, followed by a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon (and a potential for play to be delayed), has caused the Masters poobahs to move up tee times by an hour. The leaders will be going off at 2 p.m. Eastern time (instead of the usual 3) and the CBS telecast will go on the air an hour earlier than scheduled.

Woods, who seemed to have Mickelson's number (not to mention everyone else's, too) in majors, is mired in needs-a-miracle territory. Woods shot 75 for the second time in three rounds, done in by a double bogey 7 at the par-5 13th, and is tied for 20th, a distant nine shots back. For once, swing troubles make it appear that Woods is, indeed, finally in the midst of a slump even though Woods isn't buying it.

"I'm very close to putting it all together," Woods said. "I just need to make a few more putts, get the ball a little closer to the hole and it will be all good."

Saturday was the day when the pretenders were separated from the contenders. Woods appears to fall in the latter category, although you can never say never in his case. It was a rough day for the final pairing. Second-round leader Justin Rose bogeyed the first three holes and six of the first nine en route to an 81 that was the golfing equivalent of a three-car pileup. Whether it was weekend-at-the-Masters nerves or just a difficult course, it still added up to an ugly afternoon.

"I am still shell-shocked, to be honest," said Rose, the 23-year-old English star on the rise. "I felt in a great frame of mind, hit the ball beautifully on the range and just got off to a bad, bad start. Every minor mistake got punished. That's obviously what Augusta is all about. It bit back in a large way today."

Rose played in the final group with another European, Czechoslovakia-escapee turned German (he and his father fled the Communist country when he was 10) Alex Cejka, whose finish was just as shocking as Rose's. Cejka bogeyed the 17th, then made a triple bogey at the 18th after losing his tee shot in the trees and pine needles. "I was good on the front, shaky on the back," said Cejka, who shot 78 after a pair of 70s.

Two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal fell off the board, too, struggling to a third-round 79. Two more noteworthy casualties were Sergio Garcia, who shot 75 and slid into a tie for 20th with Woods and Olazabal, and Charles Howell III, who was paired with Mickelson but slipped to a 76 and fell to 16th, eight shots back.

Only six players are within five shots of Mickelson and DiMarco. Here's how your contenders stack up for Sunday's finale, in order of the least likely:

Fredrik Jacobson: The Swede, who shot 67 to close to within five shots of the lead, is known as the Junkman because he's not a great ball striker but he is a great scrambler and putter. Which meant Saturday's firm conditions set up well for him. He finished fifth in his first U.S. Open last summer, but there is no stage like the Masters. And he's staring up at Els, Langer and Mickelson, among others.

Kirk Triplett: Saturday's Cinderella story shot 69 to get to seventh place, four shots back. He's 42, a late bloomer as a star golfer, and has two victories, both in 2000. He's not a guy who's been in contention very often in majors, although he did sneak in for a tie for sixth in the 2001 Masters. He doesn't have the length to dominate the par-5s -- he was actually one over par on the 13th hole in five previous appearances -- but he's been shaky at times under pressure with his putter and Sunday will be a huge, huge day.

"I feel I have a shot at it," he said. "I'm an underdog every time I tee it up."

K.J. Choi: A very solid ball striker whose short game is streaky, Choi has won twice on the PGA Tour. He shot 72 and finds himself tied for fourth with Langer and Els. Like Triplett, he hasn't been in this position much, either. He has played the par-5s six under par for the week, however, and if he can play them three-under Sunday, he could snag a top-five finish.

Bernhard Langer: The European Ryder Cup captain is one of the game's most underrated players. He's always been a terrific ball striker and one of the game's best chippers, but he remains known for repeatedly conquering the yips and being among the first regular users of the long putter. He's won the Masters twice (the last time in 1993) and seemed past his prime at 46 -- coincidentally the same age Jack Nicklaus was when he won in 1986. Langer has the brains and the course management to steal this Masters, but can he keep the putter working well enough to score a third green jacket? He's a maybe, at best.

Ernie Els: He and Mickelson might be great rivals if only Woods hadn't been in their way the last seven years. Els seems to be the prototype for an Augusta winner. He's long, a good iron player and has a fabulous touch around the greens, yet all he's been able to do is come close -- second in 2000, fifth in 2002 and sixth in 2001 and '03. He's had a knack for stopping to smell the azaleas at the worst times -- he chopped his way to an 8 on the par-5 13th hole a few years ago when he was hot on Vijay Singh's heels in 2000.

Saturday, he snapped one off way into the trees at the 11th. Luckily, he got a drop from a pile of removed tree limbs, hacked it out and salvaged a bogey. If he goes on to win, that ruling (after an initially unfavorable decision by a rules official) could loom large. His problem is that he's starting three shots behind some tough players.

"It's almost normal for me here," Els said. "I'm always kind of chasing here. It's nice to have a chance." Look out for the Big Easy.

Paul Casey: A future superstar, this Englishman was a star college golfer at Arizona State University and seems destined for a big pro career. He's got length, a great swing, good short game, the desire needed to win and a good attitude. He has played poorly in his few major appearances thus far, but he figured something out -- he was trying too hard. This week, he's tried to lighten up, Francis, and it's paid off. He has shot 69 and 68 in his last two rounds and is two shots off the lead.

His secret this week? He and his posse have been listening to some lighthearted music as they drive up Magnolia Lane to the club, so as not to be overawed by the situation. So far the playlist has included the theme from Caddyshack and the Bee Gees' Tragedy.

Said Casey, "It's just so fun. I shouldn't really tell you what we've been playing. It's not very good. It's very kitsch." He's the sleeper in this bunch. He doesn't have the experience -- he's only 26 -- but he does have the game to win.

"I think Paul is one of the best players in the world," said Mickelson. "He's just a total, complete player. He's one of the best players on the European Ryder Cup team, for sure."

Chris DiMarco: Is this deja vu all over again? DiMarco and Mickelson playing in Sunday's final twosome reminds us of their pairing last year in the President's Cup. It was DiMarco, in fact, who helped spark Mickelson's revival. He didn't want to play Mickelson's ball of choice, the Titleist Pro V1x in their alternate shot match, so Phil switched to the regular Pro V1, which is a little softer, and began to rediscover his touch with his wedges. He switched to the ball this year and believes that has played a part in his resurgence.

"Is he still chirping about that?" Mickelson joked. "I'm sure he'll take credit for it tomorrow and keep reminding me, as he did today, as he did yesterday."

DiMarco is hardly a regular major contender but he has played well at this course, and it would be a shame for that first-round hole-in-one at the sixth hole to go to waste. Don't expect him to blow up. Look for him to shoot around even par and hang in the picture until the last few holes. He's tougher than you think and a better putter than you think (since he uses the unsightly claw putting grip).

"The President's Cup really helped me," he said. "I remember walking on the 16th hole and Jack Nicklaus and Jeff Sluman drove up next to me and said, How are you doing? I was like, well, I'm having a lot of fun. They said, well, that's good. We need your point. I looked back and saw President Bush and all the dignitaries out watching our match. I was able to make birdie on 17 and win that match. I'm going to be nervous tomorrow, no doubt about it, but I've learned to handle the pressure better."

Phil Mickelson: This is your 2004 Masters winner. Never has he played so well, so consistently and been so ready to win a major championship. Not only has he played the most consistent golf of anyone in the world this year (and with a few breaks and/or a key putt, could've won two or three more times in '04), he has improved his game and made himself a better player for the majors. He shot 69 Saturday but he almost went deep. He had birdie putts lip out at the 11th and 17th holes, and failed to birdie the par 5s on the back nine. Give him those four strokes and he's got a 65 and a stunning four-shot lead.

Even Phil didn't believe it when he was told he'd never led a major after 54 holes, because he's been in contention so many times. Don't be surprised if he gets off to another fast start -- he had a 33 on the front Saturday -- and wins by a three- or four-shot cushion. He knows his game is better than it's ever been, and because of that, he's playing relaxed and confident. He's the guy to beat. And being the crowd favorite because he hasn't won a major certainly won't hurt his chances.

He'll be getting Nicklaus-like roars whenever he makes something good happen, which will be bad news for his pursuers.

As for getting the major championship monkey off his back, Mickelson seems poised. "It's been a fun challenge because it has been so difficult," he said.

"Things are more rewarding when they're difficult. I feel like it's much easier for me now to get in contention in majors. I do know that if I'm fortunate enough to come through and win that green jacket tomorrow, you'll be seeing my dumb mug here every year for the rest of my life."

One more thing: Since 1991, the Masters champion has come from the final pairing every year. This time, it'll be Mickelson.