Phil Mickelson makes charge to get closer to fourth green jacket

The thunderous roar was all too familiar for Phil Mickel­son.

The three-time Mas­ters champion has heard more than his share from Augusta National patrons through the years. But the ground-shaking eruption this time evoked memories of cheers showered on Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson after they drained seemingly improbable birdie putts on No. 16.

When Mickelson made his own – a 41-footer that snaked in during Saturday’s third round – he couldn’t help but remember that day.

“I remember in 1991 watching Jack Nicklaus and Tom Wat­son both hit that putt and both made it,” Mickelson said. “I remember being in the clubhouse and feeling the ground reverberate from that roar. It’s makeable, but it’s not an easy one.”

Mickel­son could very well have been talking about the task facing him as he enters the final round. The ground he has to make up on leader Jordan Spieth is doable, five shots, but it won’t be easy.

Saturday was a good start. Mickelson made seven birdies and fired 5-under 67 to cut into the eight-shot deficit he had entering the round.

At 11-under 205, Mickel­son’s three-round total matches his best Masters start, in 2001 when he opened 67-69-69.

That year, Mickelson finished third, and he knows catching Spieth, who set the Masters’ 54-hole scoring record, won’t be easy.

“I don’t think it matters who’s close to him, because he’s playing very good golf and I think he’ll have a good round tomorrow,” Mickelson said of Spieth, who leads Justin Rose by four shots. “I’m going to try to stop him, but we’ll see how it goes. I’ve got a lot of work to do and I’m quite a ways back, but a good round and it could be fun.”

Mickelson didn’t begin the day with a number in mind to put a little heat on the 21-year-old Texan. But when he saw the conditions and pin locations, he knew a low number could be had, particularly on the front nine.

“The golf course could not have been any better, it was just perfect today,” Mickel­son said. “You hit well-struck shots, you had opportunities for birdies and if you don’t, you get penalized. And we saw a lot of birdies and a lot of bogeys today. … I felt like there weren’t a lot of birdie pins on the back other than the par-5s and even then, those weren’t eagle pins. They were tough.

“The front was where you needed to do your work.”

And that’s what Mickelson did, reeling off birdies on Nos. 2 through 4 after opening with a par. Chips to 2 and 4 feet led to the first two birdies before Mickelson drained a 27-footer on No. 4.

He joined Spieth in double-digits on No. 9, hitting his approach to 3 feet and making the birdie putt. Mickelson gave the shot back with a bogey on No. 11, then made three birdies in a five-hole stretch, cashing in on both par-5s before making the huge putt on No. 16 that he celebrated with a double arm-pump.

“It’s crazy to make that putt,” Mickelson said. “I’m just trying to two-putt. I hit it all the time in practice because first of all it’s a spot you want to be if you miss the small section by the hole. It’s slow up to the hole and fast past the hole. I had perfect speed and it floated in the side door. “

Mickelson dropped a shot coming in with a bogey on No. 17, but he still is in solid position to capture his fourth green jacket, which would put him in elite company. Only Jack Nicklaus (six), Arnold Palmer (four) and Tiger Woods (four) have won at least four Masters.

Mickelson will be paired with Charley Hoffman in the final round, one group ahead of the final twosome of Spieth and Rose.

Though a Spieth-Mickel­son final pairing didn’t happen, Mickelson was OK with it.

“I think in 2011 when I was in the final group watching (Louis) Oosthuizen and Bub­ba Watson in front of me make birdies, it was a lot harder to follow suit,” he said. “I was hoping to be in the group in front and if I can start posting birdies, I think it’s more difficult to follow than to lead.”