Mickelson, Tiger Among Leaders At Masters

The game of golf can't be more happy to have Tiger Woods back. There hasn't been this much positive buzz surrounding the game since Woods last stepped on the golf course over six months ago.

Currently Woods sits just four shots back from the leader Lee Westwood with a score of 8-under par.

As for Phil Mickelson, he sits in a much more comfortable position after he had a remarkable third round to bring his overall score to 11-under par. He had back-to-back eagles on 13 and 14 to ignite the Augusta gallery.

Mickelson has been in this situation plenty of times before at Augusta. He's a virtual lock to always finish in the top ten, but he's choked his way out of a green jacket a few times before.

Both Woods and Mickelson have dealt with their own set of circumstances outside of golf, which makes it even more remarkable at how well they're playing right now.

To go back to Woods, everyone has been paying close to attention at how Woods handles his emotions during this tournament. He's been under a lot of scrutiny for the way he has presented himself in the past whenever he hits a bad shot.

There was a little bit of that today with the most memorable remark by Woods saying to himself, "Tiger Woods...you suck!". He is clearly locked in on wanting to win his fifth green jacket, and that makes him ever so dangerous going into the final round tomorrow.

The critics should back off and not make a big deal about the expletives he said under his breath today. He's only human and he's extremely passionate about the game.

I did have a problem with whenever he slammed his clubs down in disgust, but he hasn't really done that during the Masters. That's a good sign that he has worked on controlling his emotions and respecting the game of golf.


There are several other talented golfers who are in the mix going into the final round. The most notable of those are Ian Poulter, Fred Couples, and K.J. Choi.

Couples is a great story here, much like Tom Watson was at last year's British Open. Couples is also at 8-under and has a great chance at pulling off the unthinkable.

If Westwood continues to play as consistent as he has the first three rounds then it will be hard for anyone to overtake him for the lead.

It's going to definitely be another photo finish and golf has definitely returned back to the spotlight of the sports world, thanks mainly to Tiger Woods.

Masters Leaderboard After Three Rounds

1. Lee Westwood (-12)
2. Phil Mickelson (-11)
3. K.J. Choi (-8)
4. Tiger Woods (-8)
5. Fred Couples (-8)

Notables:

T-14. Tom Watson (-2)
T-16. Kenny Perry (-1)
T-22. Angel Cabrera (E)
T-31. Ernie Els (+3)
T-38. Sergio Garcia (+4)