Thrill for Phil or Ferrie-tale ending?
It looks as if all the preparation just might pay off for Phil Mickelson. After visiting Winged Foot several times before the U.S. Open, Lefty finds himself in the final pairing with Englishman Kenneth Ferrie and a third straight major in sight.
By T.J. Auclair, Junior Editor
MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Look out, Tiger Woods. Phil Mickelson is coming after you.
Playing from the rough much of the time on a cloudy and muggy Saturday afternoon at Winged Foot Golf Club, Mickelson carded a magical 1-under-par 69 in the third round of the 106th U.S. Open to grab a share of the lead with little-known Kenneth Ferrie at 2-over 212.
It is the highest 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open since -- fittingly -- Tom Watson led at 3-over in 1974 at Winged Foot in the Open that became known as the "Massacre at Winged Foot."
Mickelson, who turned 36 on Friday, earned every single one of his 69 strokes on moving day, capped by a winding left-to-right 15-footer for birdie that he canned at No. 16, shortly after draining a birdie putt from six feet at 14. That put Lefty one shot out of the lead at 2-over, and then Ferrie handed him a belated birthday present by missing a five-footer for par on the last hole.
Mickelson hit just seven of 14 fairways Saturday, but for the second time this tournament he used just 27 putts.
"I obviously didn't strike it the way I wanted on the front nine and was playing from the rough and fighting for pars on a lot of holes," Mickelson said. "I was able to hang in there and then it turned around on the back side, where I hit some good shots. Although I would have been happy with pars, I was able to get one or two birdies to go in."
A win at the U.S. Open would mark the third straight major title for Mickelson, who won the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, followed by the Masters two months ago. Woods, who missed the cut at Winged Foot -- his first missed cut in a major as a professional -- completed the "Tiger Slam" by winning his fourth consecutive major at the 2001 Masters and is the only player in 50 years to win at least three in a row.
While others are eager to talk about the potential feat, Mickelson isn't getting ahead of himself.
"I've got one round to go, 18 holes, and there's a lot of guys right there, a lot of good players that are making pars and fighting just like I'm trying to do," he said. "I'm not thinking about those past tournaments or what you [his competitors] have. I'm trying to just play one more good round."
Ferrie, a 27-year-old from England whose biggest career win came at the 2005 Smurfit European Open, is the only player in the field with a score no worse than 71 this week. His 71 on Saturday was highlighted by a tap-in eagle at No. 5 after sticking his second shot to within eight inches of the hole.
"I'm going to do what I'm going to do," said Ferrie, who is ranked No. 102 in the world and is making his U.S. Open debut. "I'm going to try and play the way I have the last few days. Obviously, Phil is going to be a huge favorite. Nobody is really going to give me a chance of winning this tournament with Phil moving his way up through the field.
"If I can go out there and do what I've done the last few days and get a few breaks to go my way, there's no reason I can't be up there," he noted. "I'm just going to go out there and try and do my best. We're only three rounds through a tournament so far. There's still a long, long way to go."
Australian Geoff Ogilvy, a 29-year-old who is enjoying the best success of his PGA Tour career in 2006, shot a 2-over 72, and at 3-over trails Mickelson and Ferrie by one shot. Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter and 36-hole leader Steve Stricker are all three shots off the pace at 5-over 215.
Montgomerie endured an ugly start. Entering the third round just one shot off the lead, Monty dropped five shots in four holes, including a double-bogey at No. 3 after missing a three-foot par putt. In search of his first major and first official win on U.S. soil, Monty was 5-over through nine holes but bounced back on the inward nine, thanks to a 25-foot birdie at No. 14, followed by a left-to-right slider from 12 feet for par at No. 17. He wound up with a 5-over 75.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who is tied at 6-over with Jim Furyk and Mike Weir, had a steady round in the works until he made a mess of the final hole with a triple-bogey 7.
Harrington's tee shot found the left rough. With a utility club in his hand for the approach shot, he took a vicious swipe, but the thick rough rolled his club over and sent the ball no more than 15 yards. His third shot sailed left of the green and into a bunker. The fourth shot went on the green and then he three-putted from 25 feet.
Sweden's Peter Hedblom, who gained entry at Winged Foot by virtue of his tie for 11th at Pinehurst last year, also had a memorable third round.
Playing the 234-yard, par-3 third hole, Hedblom struck a perfect 3-iron that found the bottom of the cup for a hole-in-one. Two holes later, at the 515-yard, par-5 fifth, he drained an eagle putt to leap from 6-over to 2-over.
After the stunning start, Hedblom cooled off, collecting five bogeys on the back nine to finish at 1-over for the day, and goes into the final round at 7-over.
"It was pretty special to make a hole-in-one on the third, of course," he said. "To, first of all, make a hole-in-one at a U.S. Open is pretty special. I will always remember that, even when I'm 80."
David Duval, who made the cut at a major for the first time since the 2002 PGA Championship, was 5-over for the day and goes into the final round tied for 32nd at 10-over.
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