AUGUSTA, Ga. — They call it Moving Day, and that term took on multiple meanings during a round Phil Mickelson — and those who witnessed his brilliance — will not forget anytime soon.
For starters, Mickelson moved up the leaderboard, surging from a five-way tie for third to solo second with a 5-under 67 that featured eagles on the 13th and 14th holes.
The cheers after Mickelson holed the second eagle — with a pitching wedge from 140 yards — practically made the earth shake. Or, rather, move.
“That roar on 14, I haven’t heard one like that in a long time,” said Mickelson’s swing coach, Butch Harmon. “Anybody who says Augusta has gotten boring on the back nine is full of (garbage).”
More incredible, Mickelson almost made a third consecutive eagle when his pitch from 87 yards on the par-5 15th spun back to within an arm’s length of the cup.
Mickelson thought he had it: “I was expecting it to disappear.”
“You know Phil,” said his caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay. “He loves this place and has a real game plan when he comes here. He has that magic book in his back pocket. He knows every inch of the place.”
As jubilant as the day was for Phil’s Phanatics, the reality is Lefty is in second place.
Lee Westwood bogeyed only one hole Saturday, shooting a 4-under 68 that featured a 349-yard drive on the eighth hole and several nifty recovery shots.
“I’ve been proud of myself all week,” Westwood said. “I’ve controlled my emotions well and gotten up-and-down when I’ve needed to.”
Westwood (12 under) and Mickelson (11 under) are three clear of the field, but it would be foolish to treat their Sunday pairing as a match-play battle for the green jacket.
Tiger Woods and K.J. Choi are four shots back, and Fred Couples is five behind.
Woods slogged through a seven-birdie, five-bogey round that tested his recent vow to chill out on the golf course.
After he hit a lousy tee shot on No. 6, he yelled: “Tiger Woods, you suck. G— damn it.”
The CBS microphones caught it, prompting Verne Lundquist to observe: “I don’t think he was pleased.”
Mickelson, meanwhile, sweet-talked his ball after striking a splendid approach on the eighth: “C’mon, honey.”
Mickelson made that birdie — and took the Masters lead after his birdie on No. 15.
“It was really a fun day to see the leaderboard change,” said Mickelson, who was at his gee-whiz best in the post-round interview, uttering the word “cool” three times.
Couples played a group behind Mickelson. After Mickelson drained his approach on the 14th, Couples yelled to him: “I want that ball!”
Mickelson responded with a goofy grin.
“You know how he is,” Couples said.
On a day of perfect conditions played under a brilliant blue sky, the field recorded eight eagles. That made it an expensive day for Masters officials, who award a pair of crystal goblets for each eagle.
Neither Mickelson nor Mackay could remember if Mickelson ever had picked up four shots on the field in a span of two holes.
“I think there’s a British Open course in England with consecutive par-5s,” Mackay said. “He might have done it one year, but I’m not positive.”
Only twice before had it been done at the Masters — by Dustin Johnson in 2009 and Dan Pohl in 1982. Like Mickelson, both victimized the 13th and 14th holes.
“It’s the Masters, you know,” Mackay said. “Great stuff like that seems to happen.”
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