Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2020: Phil Mickelson Down 1 Stroke After 3rd Round

The field can't catch up to Nick Taylor at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But a few big names are within striking distance.

Taylor stayed atop the leaderboard Saturday after shooting a three-under 69. He's now 17 under overall, and nobody has caught up to him after his impressive 63 in the first round. It remains Taylor's tournament to lose. 

But Phil Mickelson is lurking after shooting a five-under 67 on Saturday, putting him one stroke behind the leader. Just don't ask him what the key to catching Taylor once and for all on Sunday might be.

"I don't know what the key is," he said, per Nick Menta of the Golf Channel. "Just get the ball in the hole somehow."

Mickelson is a dangerous player to have nipping at your heels, considering he's won the tournament five times (1998, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2019). But Taylor has continued to play excellent golf, even after he bogeyed two of his first four holes on the day.

No matter. He recovered with three birdies and an eagle to close out his day.

"I haven't been in this spot for awhile, but again, easier said than done, just play my game, keep my head down," Taylor said of his round, per John Strege of Golf Digest. "If I end up playing with Phil, I'm sure I won't be the crowd favorite, so just got to keep my head down, do my thing and keep playing, because I've been playing well."

Mickelson isn't the only one threatening to catch Taylor on Sunday. Jason Day lost a stroke on Saturday with a two-under 70, but he still sits just three strokes behind Taylor at 14 under. 

As for the amateur competition, the pair of Kevin Streelman and Larry Fitzgerald (-27) hold a one-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson and Steve Young. But you might be hard-pressed to find anyone having more fun than comedy legend Bill Murray: