Mickelson can't shake Watney
Phil Mickelson wanted another chance to go head-to-head with Tiger Woods at Doral. Nick Watney gave Lefty all he could handle Saturday in the CA Championship at Doral, Fla.
Mickelson hit his stride on the back nine of the Blue Monster with 3 straight birdies and wound up shooting a 3-under 69. That still wasn't enough to shake Watney, who finished off a 67 with a tough par save on the 18th hole to share the 54-hole lead.
They were at 16-under 200, with no one else closer than 4 shots.
Mickelson had birdie putts inside 12 feet on eight consecutive holes - including a tee shot on the par-3 13th that rolled against the flag stick and stopped a foot away - until a wild tee shot on the 17th hole led to bogey.
Watney, who won at Torrey Pines a month ago, stayed in the game with 2 good bunker saves and a delicate chip to 3 feet after flirting with the water on 18.
Woods was thrilled with how he hit the ball, disgusted with his putting, and had to settle for a 68 that left him 9 shots behind. This is his first stroke-play tournament since winning the U.S. Open last summer. Woods had season-ending knee surgery a week later.
Jeev Milkha Singh (68) and Camilo Villegas (69) were tied for third at 12 under, and the group another shot behind included Jim Furyk (69), Kenny Perry (71) and Alvaro Quiros, the big-hitting Spaniard who had a 69.
Mickelson, who won two weeks ago at Riviera, can close in on No. 1 in the world ranking by capturing his first World Golf Championship title. It will be his first time in the final group at Doral since 2005, when Woods rallied to beat him.
Puerto Rico Open: Michael Bradley shot a 4-under 68 in windy conditions for a share of the third-round lead with Australian Jason Day in the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
The 42-year-old Bradley, whose last top-10 finish came at the 2000 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill, 64 tournaments ago, matched Day (70) at 12-under 204 - 4 shots clear on the tropical, 7,526-yard Trump International course.
The 21-year-old Day hit into the water off the tee on the par-4 17th, but rallied to save par with a 12-foot putt.
AT&T Champions Classic: Joey Sindelar moved a step closer to his first Champions Tour victory, shooting a 2-under 70 to take a 1-stroke lead over Don Pooley in the AT&T Champions Classic at Santa Clarita, Calif.