Shell Houston Open: Phil Mickelson Rallies Back, Beats Scott Verplank

Phil Mickelson is all the way back. And with his final round charge to win the 2011 Shell Houston Open, it’s clear that Lefty is rounding into form just in time for golf’s first major of 2011.

Mickelson began his fourth round with bogeys on the second and third holes, but rallied with five straight birdies beginning at the ninth and maintained his lead heading in for a final round 65 and the Houston Open’s winning score at 20-under 268.

Phil Mickelson’s comeback bid in the 2011 Shell Houston Open is getting a challenge from Scott Verplank. Mickelson has lost the lead as of his eighth Sunday hole, shooting 14-under as pairing-mate Verplank has advanced to 16-under with a 3-under day so far. Aaron Baddeley also sits at 14-under through nine.

Mickelson’s otherwise decent final round may have been spoiled early on by bogeys on holes two and three, but there’s still time to make up the difference.

Tee times have been announced for the final round of the 2011 Shell Houston Open. 24 hours ago, few would have expected the final pair to be made up of Phil Mickelson and Scott Verplank, but the two veterans pieced together remarkable rounds on Saturday to share the tournament lead.

Mickelson and Verplank will tee off at 12:30 p.m. Houston (Central) time. They’ll trail Aaron Baddeley and Chris Kirk, who share third place and will begin their final 18 at 12:21 p.m.

On Saturday, Phil Mickelson played a masterful third round at the Shell Houston Open. His 9-under day vaulted him 20 spots up the leaderboard, placing him in a surprise tie for first with Scott Verplank.

Mickelson’s first two rounds in Houston were relatively mixed affairs, but on Saturday, he birdied half his holes without committing a single bogey. Mickelson is on the hunt for his first PGA Tour win since his victory at the 2010 Masters nearly a year ago, and the 39th of his career overall.

Tee times have been announced for Saturday’s Round 3 Play at the Shell Houston Open. Tournament leader Chris Kirk has been grouped with the tournament’s defending champion, Anthony Kim.

Kirk holds a one-stroke lead over Kim, who delivered a terrific 8-under performance in round 2 to vault into second place. The group will be rounded out by Johnson Wagner, who shot 5-under on Friday to move into a tie for second.

Elsewhere on the schedule, Phil Mickelson is set to tee off with Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari.

Here is the full slate of tee times as announced by the PGA. All times local (Central).

On Friday in Humble, Texas, Chris Kirk played well enough to hold on to his lead at the Shell Houston Open, but Anthony Kim’s spectacular Round 2 put him within a stroke of Kirk on the leaderboard.

Kim, who won this tournament last year, played a bogey-free round and shot 8-under overall. He was especially effective on the back nine, as he birdied five of his final seven holes.

Kirk, meanwhile, stumbled a bit in the early going. The tournament leader committed a double-bogey on the fourth hole, but played well enough to end up at 3-under for the day and 9-under for the tournament.

Elsewhere, Scott Verplank had an excellent round. Verplank, who started on the back nine, birdied holes one through five to score 7-under on the day. He now stands in a tie for seventh.

Here is how the leaderboard looks entering Round 3’s play.

1. Chris Kirk (-9)

T2. Anthony Kim (-8)

T2. Johnson Wagner

T4. Josh Teater (-7)

T4. Padraig Harrington

T4. Jimmy Walker

T7. Tim Petrovic (-6)

T7. Aaron Baddeley

T7. Scott verplank

T7. John Rollins

T7. Ben Crane

You can view the full leaderboard here. And for more on the PGA Tour, check out SB Nation’s golf blog, Waggle Room.

The first round of the Shell Houston open is in the books and low scores dominated the day. Jimmy Walker posted a 9-under 63 to take a two-shot lead over the final round as course conditions encouraged scoring early and often on Thursday. Nick O’Hern and Josh Teater were tied for second at 7-under.

Of the big names, Steve Stricker posted the best score, firing a 5-under 67, good for a share of third place. Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington were part of a logjam of players at 4-under. Phil Mickleson, using this tournament as a tuneup for The Masters at Augusta National, shot a 2-under 70 in the first round and sits in a tie for 33rd.

On Thursday, players are teeing off in Round 1 of the Shell Houston Open. Some of the biggest names of the PGA Tour are present, including Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood.

This tournament has been played continuously under various names since 1949. Last year’s tournament was won by Anthony Kim, who is in the field this year.