Solid position, but work ahead for Mickelson

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz -- For a guy that's in contention to win his third FBR Open, Phil Mickelson sounded Saturday like a guy with a lot of work ahead of him.

Phil Mickelson had two bogeys on the back nine on Saturday. (WireImage)

Inside the Numbers

Phil Mickelson so far at the FBR Open

Eagles 1 Birdies 15 Pars 32 Bogeys 5 Double Bogeys 1 Driving Accuracy 59.5 Driving Distance 297.5 Putts Per Round 28 GIR 72.2

"I'm glad that there were more birdies than bogeys," said Mickelson of his 4-under 67, which is one shot better than the 68s he posted on both Thursday and Friday. "But I do need to eliminate those bogeys."

To be exact, there were two bogeys for Mickelson in Saturday's third round, including one on the infamous 16th hole, where his tee shot ended up in the clefts rough behind the green.

After the ball found a home there, the thousands gathered showed the Arizona State grad no favoritism as the boos rang down. He got more boos when his second shot came up well short of the green.

"Just came up a little short," Mickelson said of the effort. "Just didn't hit it solid. Fortunately, it stayed up. It could have come back down."

Mickelson said he expected the adverse reaction from the crowd -- and deserved it.

"I hit a terrible shot," he said. "They were just as hard on me as they were anybody else and rightfully so. I followed it up with a birdie on the next hole, which was important. But I've got to eliminate a couple of those mistakes.

"But fortunately, I'm still in position where a good round tomorrow might do it," Mickelson said.

Even with the boos, Mickelson said he was happy to see the record-breaking crowd of 170,802 that showed up.

"I think it was evident that the crowd was the largest today that it's ever been because every hole had countless people on it, and in the past it was just two or three," he said. "I felt like the entire golf course had people everywhere. It's so special for this tournament and for the game of golf to have something like this."

Despite rounds of 68, 68 and 67 so far this week, it's been an up-and-down tournament for Mickelson. On Thursday, he struggled through a 37 on the back nine before blistering the front nine for a 31. In the second round, Mickelson double-bogeyed the par-4 ninth on Friday before closing with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 on Saturday morning to end with 33 on the back.

Later Saturday, in the third round, Mickelson started with birdies on two of his first three holes on the front before bogeying both par-3s on the back.

"I've played well in stretches, but I've also hit some horrendous shots, too, so, I'm a little uncertain," he said. "I feel like I know I can go out and shoot 3-, 4-under, but to win, I'm going to have to shoot closer to seven or eight, and that's going to be a challenge."

Mickelson said it can be done, but you better come to the course ready to play on Sunday.

"I think if the guys at 10-under, and there's a lot of them, can get off to a good start and make some birdies, it's always harder when you have to birdie to keep pace," he said. "And I think that's the goal, is to put pressure on the leaders by making some birdies early."

And keeping pace late, right Phil?

"Yeah, it'll be a shootout," he said."