Fan favorite Mickelson in mix but needs help

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Phil Mickelson shared his love of the risk-reward nature of TPC Scottsdale. He might have to embrace those risks even more Sunday in order to nab a third win at the event. Heading into Sunday's final round at 8-under, Mickelson will need a stellar day to catch leader Spencer Levin. After a making up a lot of ground in his last 27 holes, it just might be in him. "I'd like to be further up, but given where I was 27 holes ago (1-under), I'm in a really good spot," Mickelson said Saturday. "I'm starting to play some good golf, and I'm starting to get a little bit of momentum." After flying swing coach Butch Harmon into town for a morning session, Mickelson carded a third-round 67 to claw his way up the leaderboard. He bogeyed just one hole Saturday while collecting five birdies, building on the momentum of four birdies on the back nine Friday. Mickelson sits nine strokes back of Levin's commanding 17-under lead. He might need Levin to slip a little Sunday, but Mickelson knows the onus is on him. He can't count on another golfer's misfortune. But if Levin does falter, Mickelson wants to be ready. "I need to make some birdies and get into position where if I light it up the back nine, I can catch him," Mickelson said. "You never know what might happen. This is a golf course that's very penalizing if you miss it just a slight bit. The rough is very thick and tough to recover. You've got fairways that are pitching into the water, and if you start missing it a little bit, there's a lot of bogeys and double bogeys and guys can back up. "The key is just to try to get myself in position in case that happens." Mickelson might hope to capitalize on every opportunity Levin affords, but with the way Levin has played so far, there probably won't be many. Levin has just two bogeys through three rounds and had gone 49 holes without one before hitting into the water on the 15th hole Saturday for the second straight round. In taking some risks Sunday, Mickelson might be playing a little more like Levin. The 27-year-old shot a 68 Saturday to build on the 14-under lead he had at the end of play Friday. "I like how he plays," Mickelson said of Levin. "He plays very aggressive. He plays with an attacking style. On a golf course like this, when you're firing, it certainly rewards you for well-struck shots." Mickelson said his front-nine performance Friday -- which included a bogey and double bogey -- shook him up, hence his impromptu session with Harmon. Something must have clicked in the two-hour meeting, as Mickelson responded with his best round of the tournament. "I hit the ball a lot better, drove it a lot better, didn't have as big of misses, and I was able to hit a lot of good iron shots to get under par," Mickelson said. Overcoming a nine-stroke gap is undoubtedly a daunting task -- almost unheard of -- so Mickelson's chances Sunday are slim. But there could be no better story than a final-round charge to the top by the local favorite. Mickelson knows he'll have to get aggressive Sunday, and his experience at TPC Scottsdale -- he's played the tournament every year since 1991 -- might give him an edge in working the riskier holes. What's certain, though, is he has little room for error. "When you start making mistakes or hitting a bad shot or two, it's very hard to turn it around because there's water, there's trouble everywhere," Mickeslon said. "(But) there's also opportunities to make birdies and eagles." Its a bit of a long shot, but Mickelson certainly isn't out of it yet. Ever the optimist, Mickelson kept returning to the same sentiment Saturday in discussing what might transpire: anything can happen. "If I can get a hot hand and put some pressure on, you never know what might happen."