Nick Taylor continues to play the role of villain as Phil Mickelson’s quest for yet another PGA TOUR victory took shape at Pebble Beach.
The Canadian fired a 69 lead the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am by one from Mickleson (67). Jason Day posted a 70 at Spyglass Hill and was only three shots behind at 14-under 201.
For the rest of the field, it was a wasted opportunity.
Pebble Beach had more wind than earlier in the week, but still gentle enough that low scores were available. Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner at Pebble, was in striking range and could manage only a 72, leaving him eight shots back. Patrick Cantlay played the final six holes in 2 over for a 72 and was nine shots back.
Charl Schwartzel dropped three places to share seventh but is now eight back after a 73. His driving accuracy betrayed him in round three as he his just 35% of fairways in regulation. A birdie to close was just his second of the day.
Mickelson started with a pair of birdies. He took a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-5 sixth.
And then the fun began.
His wedge on the 110-yard seventh hole that drops down into the Pacific went long and plugged in the back bunker, impossible because of the back pin and a fast green that slopes toward the front. He splashed out so perfectly that it took a few hops in the rough before reaching the green, slow enough to stop 2 feet away for a tap-in par.
Even for Mickelson, it rates among his best.
Then, his 50-foot bunker shot on the tough eighth rolled inches from the cup on No. 8. More trouble supposedly awaited on the 13th when his approach peeled into the left bunker. He raised both arms when that dropped. And on the par-5 14th, he made a mistake by not hitting his punch wedge hard enough. It rolled down the slope, off the green and back into the fairway. Mickelson’s long chip from 90 feet banged into the pin and dropped for birdie.
Mickelson missed two birdie putts from inside 10 feet. And while he hit only nine greens in regulation, he usually had a reasonable angle to the pin to save par — or make birdie, as was the case twice for him.
That leaves a Sunday with plenty at stake for the leading three players.
Mickelson said earlier in the week he would not accept a special exemption for the U.S. Open if he needed one. A victory at Pebble – the 45th of his career – would go a long way toward solving that.
Taylor can validate his first win since his rookie season, an opposite-field event at the time. The Canadian has never been to the Masters and has played in only four majors, two as an amateur.
Day, meanwhile spent most of last year injured and frustrated. He has gone nearly two years since his last win, and was in danger of falling out of range for World Golf Championships events if he didn’t starting getting better results.
