Phil Mickelson: Best and Worst of Lefty's 3rd Round at Augusta

Phil Mickelson is in great shape to win his fourth green jacket after a tremendous third round put him near the top of the leaderboard at Augusta National Golf Club.

Mickelson entered the third round of the Masters within striking distance of the leaders, only three strokes behind.

Here are the best and worst moments of his third round.

Worst

He came out this morning and promptly put us all to sleep, posting nine straight pars. It was awful.

Then, he faced the tricky 16th hole.

Mickelson attempted to go right at the pin and pulled the ball a bit, ending up in the rough next to the grandstands.

Luckily for him, Lefty happens to be a magician around the greens. He executed a clean pitch and put it up and in for the par save.

Best

Mickelson was already on quite a roll by the time he hit the 13th tee, having birdied two out of his last three holes to get him to four under for the tournament. 

He then proceeded to hit two excellent shots to put him within 35 feet of the pin.

Then, Lefty pulled off a perfectly struck putt for the eagle, pulling him up to a tie at the time at six under.

The crowd's reaction to that made putt was the loudest I'd heard all weekend.

Worst/Best

On the final hole, the toughest on the golf course through three days, Mickelson pulled his drive to the right into the trees.

Ugh. What a way to finish an amazing round, right?

He then hit one of the best shots of the tournament on his approach, pulling off a phenomenal hook around the trees that tracked the hole all the way, ending up within about 20 feet to the pin. 

Then, in true championship form, Mickelson drained the 20-footer for another birdie to give him the lead going into the final round.

Mickelson's 30 on the back nine was only one shot behind the best score at Augusta in the history of the Masters.

He will have an excellent shot to win tomorrow, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all the latest news, analysis and scores as Day 3 of the Masters winds down.

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