Phil Mickelson: Why 2012 Masters Is His to Lose

Day 3 of the 2012 Masters was certainly an interesting one, as veteran Phil Mickelson made a charge and finished the day six-under par and in second place.  Entering Day 4, he is just one stroke behind leader Peter Hanson. However, Mickelson should be anything but cocky at this point.  While he could easily make another charge and win the Masters for the fourth time, he could just as easily choke given the competition he has behind him.

Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson are in third and fourth place, respectively, and both are having their best performances at Augusta this year.  They smell victory, and as they enter the final day, chances are they'll be extremely focused and with one goal in mind: get past Lefty.

The same can be said for Lee Westwood, currently tied for sixth place.  Unlike Oosthuizen and Watson, he has a bit of a personal stake.  You see, when Mickelson won the Masters in 2010, Westwood finished in second place.  That said, he's definitely hungry for that green jacket.

Still, despite those challenges, not to mention catching leader Peter Hanson, Mickelson has one clear advantage over the rest of the competition: experience.  He played in his first Masters back in 1991 and has played in it every year since 1993.  The man probably knows Augusta National like the back of his hand and in professional golf, that can be one huge advantage.

Simply put, Mickelson just has to do one thing to stay in the hunt for first place, let alone actually overtake Hanson as leader.  He has to keep looking ahead and not focus on who is behind him on the leaderboard.  To quote practically every athletic coach I've had in my lifetime, Mickelson just has to go out there and play the game.

Sure, that's easier said than done, but Mickelson is a seasoned veteran who knows what he's doing.  If anything, the rest of the competition should be worried about him as they enter Day 4.

Yet, Mickelson has his share of work to do as well.  All he has to do is make one mental mistake, and his hopes of winning a fourth jacket could crash and burn.  Needless to say, this Masters has the potential to end on quite the interesting note.