Mickelson, Woods provide drama but Perry leads

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson staged a shot-making show for the ages Sunday at the Masters but late blunders scuttled their comeback bids and put Kenny Perry in reach of a historic title.

Perry clung to a share of the lead through Amen Corner, the famed three-hole stretch of Augusta National Golf Club starting at the 11th, and was at 12-under with countryman Chad Campbell with four holes to play.

Argentina's Angel Cabrera was third, two off the pace, with Japan's Shingo Katayama another stroke back.

Mickelson, who blundered at the 18th for bogey was in the clubhouse on nine-under par 279 with Woods, Steve Flesch and John Merrick finished on 280.

"It was a struggle all day," Woods said. "If I got to 11 and posted it, I thought I would be all right."

US veteran Perry, who would become golf's oldest major champion at 48, began with 11 pars before sinking a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-3 12th and missing a six-foot birdie putt at the par-5 13th for yet another par.

Playing partners Woods and Mickelson began the round seven strokes off the lead but finally staged a long-sought head-to-head duel in the final round of a major as they chased down leader after leader until only Perry remained.

Mickelson matched the lowest front-nine in Masters history with a six-under 30 but found Rae's Creek off the 12th tee for a double bogey.

"The ball went in the water and I stopped making putts," Mickelson lamented.

The 38-year-old US lefthander answered with birdies at the par-5 13th and 15th, although he botched a five-foot eagle putt at 15 for a share of the lead and settled for 10-under.

"That one was costly," Mickelson said. "I didn't trust my read and I messed up my impact."

Woods scrambled to save par time and again while scoring on the par-5 holes, a birdie at the second, eagle at the eighth and birdie at the 13th and 15th before adding another birdie at the par-3 16th to match Mickelson on 10-under.

But Woods and Mickelson each made bogeys at 17 and 18, breaking the back of their comeback bids with a closing disaster.

Woods ended a run of three birdies in four holes at 17 when he missed the fairway, fell short on his approach, blasted 12 feet past the pin and missed the par putt. Mickelson pushed a five-foot birdie putt right and took a par.

"It was just a little too far the right," Woods said of his tee shot at 17. "It was just death from there."

Both blundered at 18. Woods went right into the trees and again to the 10th fairway before giving himself an eight-footer for par that he missed for his second bogey-bogey finish of the tournament.

Mickelson found a bunker off the tee, blasted out shy of the green, missed a slope on the green to leave himself 18 feet for par and missed to finish a round of 67, one better than Woods but unlikely to be good enough for victory.

American Johnny Miller set the front-nine mark with a 30 in 1975's third round and was matched by Australian Greg Norman in the 1988 fourth round and South Korea's K.J. Choi in the second round of 2004.



A Palestinian youth rides his horse at sunset. AP Photo/Adel Hana

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