Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Phil Mickelson one off the lead after memorable 67
Watch the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage begins on Sunday at 6pm.
Sunday 9 February 2020 06:57, UK
Phil Mickelson produced one of his more memorable rounds as he stayed firmly in the hunt for a record-breaking sixth victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Mickelson's third-round 67 featured a remarkable array of short-game excellence that few in the sport could match with any degree of consistency, the veteran's sublime skills around the greens ensuring he will go into the final day just a shot behind 54-hole leader Nick Taylor.
The Canadian overcame a slow start at Spyglass Hill to card a 69 highlighted by an eagle at the seventh - his 16th - which lifted him to 17 under and one clear of Mickelson, while 2018 runner-up Jason Day is just three off the pace overnight after a 70.
Taylor bogeyed two of his first four holes before getting a welcome birdie putt to drop at the 17th, and he picked up further shots at the second and fifth before two lusty blows found the heart of the green at the long seventh and led to the eagle which regained the outright lead.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
But the highlights reel for day three was dominated by defending champion Mickelson, who hit only nine greens in regulation but still managed to stay in contention thanks to a series of remarkable pitches, sand-saves and hole-outs.
After a birdie-birdie start, Mickelson chipped close for another at the sixth before managing to save par from a plugged lie in the bunker at the back of the seventh green - a sand-save he later described as "No 2 in my all-time greatest bunker shots".
A long-distance bunker escape to a few inches enabled him to save par again at the eighth and, after he was unable to repeat at the 12th, he holed a "rather sexy" splash-out from more sand at 13 for the unlikeliest of birdies which he followed with another at 14 - chipping in at pace after his third had spun back off the front of the green.
An outrageous flop-shot at the last set-up his sixth birdie of the day and cemented a place in Sunday's final group with Taylor, and Mickelson said: "I felt like I had a pretty good day with my short game and had some pretty good shots.
Live PGA Tour Golf
"So it was a nice score on a day that wasn't easy. The greens were firm, I thought the wind made it difficult, and I ended up playing really well and making a good score, getting up-and-down a lot and holing a couple of shots from off the green. I did a good job getting the ball in the hole!"
When asked to rate his sand-save at the seventh, he added: "It's No 2 in my all-time greatest bunker shots. I made one in the final round at The Memorial, Muirfield Village, the old 16th hole from under the lip, plugged, and I holed that one.
"This one didn't go in, but it was the second-best I've ever hit. I was just trying to not make double-bogey. I was trying to get on the green and just make a four, give myself a putt at a par. But it came out great."
Day will look to put early pressure on the top two when he goes out in the penultimate pairing on Sunday, the Australian keeping himself in the hunt for a first win in almost two years with a hard-working 70 at Spyglass Hill
Matt Every and Kevin Streelman are three strokes further back on 11 under after both carded Saturday 68s, but two-time champion Dustin Johnson looks to be too far back to contend after he laboured to a frustrating level-par 72 at Pebble Beach.
The former world No 1 mixed three bogeys with as many bogeys as he remained on nine under par alongside 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, whose closing birdie at Spyglass Hill merely salvaged a one-over 73.
