We witnessed some Mickelson magic on the final hole at Kiawah Island as he kept his one stroke lead intact
WATCH: Mickelson Makes Stunning Up-And-Down To Lead PGA Championship
Phil Mickelson came down the 18th hole on Saturday evening at the PGA Championship with a one stroke lead but that was in jeopardy after he pulled his approach right of the green.
Lefty, one of the best short game players in history, was faced with a very tricky up-and-down – a tight lie to a raised putting surface with little green to work with.
We shouldn’t have doubted him.
Mickelson somehow got his wedge under the ball and lobbed it to around 5ft, landing it in the perfect spot, before holing the putt for par to sit at seven under after 54 holes and one clear of Brooks Koepka.
WATCH: Mickelson Makes Stunning Up-And-Down To Lead PGA Championship
Any good???
What an up-and-down from Mickelson to take a one stroke lead into the #PGAChamp final round pic.twitter.com/R4vjkb9uyX
— Golf Monthly (@GolfMonthly) May 22, 2021
What an up and down!
Phil Mickelson survives a back-nine wobble to take a narrow lead into the final round of the #PGAChamp! pic.twitter.com/9GY2QmGgkZ
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) May 22, 2021
Mickelson carded a two-under-par 70 after a two-over back nine, where he quickly lost a five stroke lead after birdies from the players around him and a double bogey from himself on the 13th.
He composed himself well with five closing pars, including the super save on the last.
Related: PGA Championship Leaderboard – Who is leading at Kiawah Island?
The 50-year-old bids to become the oldest Major winner in history, a record currently set by Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at the age of 48.
Mickelson is a five-time Major winner, having won three Masters titles, one Open Championship and one PGA Championship.
His last Major victory came at Muirfield in 2013, when he won the Open for the first time in his career.
“I felt I had a very clear picture on every shot, and I’ve been swinging the club well, and so I was executing. I just need to keep that picture a few more times,” he said.
“So even though it slipped a little bit today and I didn’t stay as focused and as sharp on a few swings, it’s significantly better than it’s been for a long time.
“So I’m making a lot of progress, and I’ll continue to work on that and hopefully I’ll be able to eliminate a couple of those loose swings tomorrow.
“Because I’m playing a lot better than the score is showing and I think if I can just stay sharp tomorrow, I’ll post a score that is — that better reflects how I’m actually playing.”
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