Masters 2012: Fred Couples and Players to Watch in Final Round

Every day, there's a new leader, but it all comes down to who's on top of the leaderboard at the end of the day on Sunday.

Finally, the last day of the Masters is upon us, and with so many contenders still in the mix for the green jacket, there are a lot of golfers to keep your eye on as the fourth and final round comes to a close.

Fred Couples surged into the lead at the end of the second day after shooting a 67. He birdied five holes on the front nine and two on the back, but Saturday's third round started out very rough for him: He bogeyed holes one and two and double-bogeyed the fifth.

But just when all hope appeared to be lost, he came roaring back, birdying the eighth, the 11th and the 12th to put himself right back in contention.

Perhaps Couples' calm, carefree attitude is the reason for his continued success at Augusta, even at age 52. (Tiger, take note.) After his big day on Friday, Couples told Golfweek's Sean Martin:

"

I feel like I'm very young when I get here. I'm not going to let too many things bother me. It's so beautiful. I believe there are a lot of guys that play well here because they feel very comfortable on the course.

"

It's clear that Couples does. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to get rattled by a couple bogeys, so look for him to continue to vie for that green jacket well into Sunday.

After lingering near the top of the leaderboard over the first couple of days, Peter Hanson put himself atop all of the competition with a very impressive 65 in Saturday's third round to put him nine under par. He began his day with a bogey, but eight birdies later, it was long forgotten.

Hanson birdied five of the final seven holes of the round in what was clearly the highlight of the tournament for him. His start was promising—he shot a four-under 68 in Thursday's first round—but after a two-over 74 the next day, he appeared to be falling victim to the pressure of being ahead of the pack.

Not so, apparently.

Just behind Hanson at eight under is Phil Mickelson, who was the third-favorite to win before the tournament began. Mickelson used the third round to push himself up the leaderboard after a lackluster first two rounds. He was two over on Thursday and two under on Friday, but on Saturday, he parred each of the first nine holes and was spectacular on the back nine, birdying four holes and eagling the fifth to finish six under on the day.

It is an impressive feat for Mickelson, who is the only golfer out of the three favorites—which originally included Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy—to finish day three anywhere near the top of the leaderboard.

Given the way the first three days of the Masters have played out, the fourth is bound to be a battle, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see someone surge into the top three toward the end of the day on Sunday, much like Mickelson did on Saturday.

But given the way Hanson has seemed to linger near the top all weekend, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him win it all, either.