Shell Houston Open 2012 Leaderboard: Players Most Likely to Win on Sunday

The Shell Houston Open heads into the weekend with some exciting action on tap for the third and fourth rounds, and the field is wide open.

There are many talented golfers who could rise to the top of the leaderboard and earn a huge tournament victory before the Masters tees off at Augusta next week.

Let's look at the three players most likely to win the event.

Phil Mickelson

Lefty is the defending champion of the Shell Houston Open and is currently tied for fifth after a second-round score of two-under-par.

Mickelson has putted well through the first two rounds and is very comfortable on this course. He's played at it numerous times before and understands how to beat it.

Mickelson is the most talented golfer left in the field (Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods aren't participating) and is under no pressure to win this tournament. 

If he can put together two solid rounds and minimize his mistakes, Mickelson will cruise to his second win of 2012.

Angel Cabrera

The former US Open and Masters champion has been playing better golf of late and is looking to fine-tune his game for Augusta next week.

The Argentinian is tied for fifth after two rounds with a score of two-under-par and is an experienced golfer who won't be fazed by the late-round pressure.

If Cabrera can continue his strong putting and keep hitting the fairways consistently, then he will have a great chance to win on Sunday.

Jeff Maggert

The American leads the tournament at 12-under-par through two rounds and is dominating the course with great consistency.

Maggert made seven birdies and just one bogey in his second-round performance on Friday and looks very comfortable on the putting green.

The thrill of being at the top of the leaderboard will be a different challenge for Maggert, who has missed the cut in the last four tournaments he's played in this year. But if he can stay focused, he has a great shot to become champion.