Mickelson ties 54-hole record; leads at WMPO
Feb. 3, 2013 - 12:15 PM ET
Phil Mickelson is easing his way toward a victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open thanks to a 6-under-par 33-31=64 in the third round, matching Mark Calcavecchia's 54-hole tournament record of 24-under 189.
Mickelson started off a little flat, finding just two birdies on his first 12 holes. He would heat up just in time to take advantage of TPC Scottsdale's inviting finishing stretch. He got up-and-down from a greenside bunker for birdie at the par-5 13th and did it again on the par-5 15th. Some magic would occur on the famous par-3 16th where, to the delight of the raucous crowd, he hit his tee shot to 18 inches for a kick-in birdie. He then added another birdie at the par-4 17th, hitting his 3-wood to pin high and again getting up and down. He would finish things off with an unlikely birdie on the 18th from 15'4". Mickelson needs a 67 in the final round to match Calcavecchia's tournament record of 28-under 256 in Sunday's final round, while a 64 would give him the all-time PGA TOUR scoring record for any event.
