Masters Leaderboard: Peter Hanson Leads After 3 Rounds

The Masters concludes on Sunday, and it would be surprising if it didn’t go all the way down to the wire. Peter Hanson paces the field with Phil Mickelson just one stroke back, but there are a number of big name players within striking distance. Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen is two shots back, Bubba Watson trails by three and there’s a big group of world class players five shots back.

CBS’s coverage doesn’t begin until 2:00 p.m. ET, but Masters.com has coverage starting in the late morning. You can also catch the final day of the tournament on ESPN 3D, if you happen to own a 3D television.

Phil Mickelson’s third round 66 was enough to bring him to within one stroke of the lead at the 2012 Masters. (Watch video of Mickelson’s third round.) It was also one of his finest-ever rounds at Augusta National.

The Augusta Chonicle has a full history of Mickelson’s Masters performances, and it shows that Mickelson’s 66 is his best round at Augusta since 1996, when he shot a 65 in his first round — his career best in the tournament. It also shows that the 66 is Mickelson’s best performance in the third round or on the weekend.

Peter Hanson heads into the final round of the 2012 Masters with the lead, but he isn’t nearly the story that last round’s leader after 54 holes, Rory McIlroy, was. And he won’t be the dominant story on Sunday, thanks to Phil Mickelson lurking one shot behind him. But Hanson’s looking for his first major championship, and if he claims his first green jacket, it will be a rather stupendous upset.

That’s because Hanson doesn’t quite have a sterling track record at majors. In 18 appearances, he’s got just one career top-10 finish, a tie for seventh at the 2011 U.S. Open, and this is his second appearance and first time making the cut at The Masters.

The pairings and tee times for the final round of the 2012 Masters are set, and there’s sure to be plenty of drama on Sunday at Augusta National. Peter Hanson and Phil Mickelson are the final group, going off No. 1 at 2:40 p.m. ET. Hanson and Mickelson played the first two rounds together, paired alongside Hunter Mahan who is also on the first page of the leaderboard.

Tiger Woods, after an even-par 72 in his third round, will again tee off early at 11:30 a.m. ET, a non-factor in the tournament and absent from the afternoon broadcast on CBS again.

There are two somewhat sacred places on golf courses -- tee boxes and greens. Drive a cart too close to a green or onto a tee box and you’re liable to get berated. Take a chunk out of either on purpose and a marshal or course worker is liable to throw you off the course, perhaps chasing after you with the club you used to leave a mark on the course. It’s just not a good idea.

Tiger Woods apparently cares not for this etiquette. Again on Saturday he was unhappy with the way his round was going. And again he took it out on the golf course, throwing clubs and leaving his mark.

The third round of the 2012 Masters is in the books, and “moving day” was highlighted by two dramatic second-nine charges -- one from a relatively unknown newcomer, and the other by familiar veteran of Augusta National. Peter Hanson, a consistent Swede who always seems to be at top of the leaderboard in some of the deepest tournaments on tour, shot an amazing 65, which even included a lead-off bogey on the first hole. He shot a 31 on the second nine to take the lead at 9-under.

The other dramatic charge was delivered by three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who shot a 30 on the second nine, just one shot off the record. Mickelson ignited several roars down in Amen Corner and as he came down the stretch. He birdied the par-3 12th and then followed it up with an eagle at No. 13 -- a putt he said he’s seen so many times he knew exactly what line to take. Lefty then delivered one of his perfect trademark flop shots on the par-5 15th hole, which set up another birdie. He missed no opportunities and gave nothing away to Augusta National, going 3-under on the second nine par fives. The round culminated with Mickelson pouring in a slight downhill breaker at No. 18, capping it with an emphatic fist pump that put the crowd in a frenzy one last time.

The gallery surrounding the 18th green is just looking for a reason to explode, and in the past half an hour there have been many. First there was Phil Mickelson draining his birdie putt, sparking the whitest celebration ever. A short time later, Matt Kuchar rolled through and the crowd did it all over again.

Like Mickelson, Kuchar drained a long birdie putt. And like it did for Mickelson, the crowd went nuts, fist-pumping and chanting “Kooooooch” as he walked off the green.

As the third round winds down, plenty of drama and story lines sit atop The Masters leaderboard. Peter Hanson has the clubhouse lead at 9-under. The deadly consistent Swede is the only player other than Rory McIlroy to finish in the top five at both of this year’s WGC events. One shot back, and in the clubhouse with a 66 for the day, is Phil Mickelson. Lefty made a dramatic charge on the second nine at Augusta, shooting 30.

The final groups are still on the course, with Louis Oosthuizen two shots back with two holes to play. Oosthuizen, who’s not as long a hitter as some of the others at the top, was forced to lay up on the par-5 15th hole and settle for a par, which is well above the scoring average on that hole. The South African narrowly missed a birdie on 16 but his steady play will certainly make him a factor on Sunday.

Phil Mickelson made a dramatic charge on the second nine on Saturday, coming in with an amazing 30 and finishing with a 66. His 30 on the second nine was just one off the tournament record, as he poured in a birdie putt on 18 to pull within one shot of leader Peter Hanson, who’s at 9-under. Mickelson’s birdie putt was set up with an incredible draw-hook from the right rough on 18 that went all the up to the second-tier of Augusta’s famed finishing green.

Mickelson’s charge really picked up momentum at Amen Corner, when he birdied the famous par-3 12th and followed it up with an eagle on the par-5 13th hole. He added an amazing flop shot on 15 and converted his birdie putt there to pick up another. But it all culminated with his work on the final hole, where he let out an emphatic fist pump when he drained his final putt on the day. The crowd went nuts and embraced the three-time Masters champ. Video of the fantastic finish below:

Phil Mickelson is absolutely adored at Augusta National, something anyone with ears should be able to tell. Listen to the roar as Phil does anything on the course -- from strolling to a tee box to hitting a good shot or draining a birdie. His ho-hum attitude and relaxed demeanor make him easy to love, a fan favorite almost everywhere he goes.

And when Phil drains a putt on 18 at Augusta National to cap off a superb round, getting to within one-shot of the lead in the process? The bros go nuts, y’all.

Phil Mickelson shot 6-under through 18 holes to take a one-stroke lead over Luis Oosthuizen, who is 3-under through 14. Oosthuizen has shot for par on four of his first five holes on the back nine. After Bubba Watson (5-under total, 1-under Saturday through 16), the two hottest golfers of the day are tied for the biggest leaderboard jump at 19 places: Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and American Hunter Mahan both shot a 4-under 68 in the third round, and both are tied for fifth at 4-under.

Phil Mickelson is making a charge on the second nine at Augusta National, taking advantage of opportunities at Amen Corner. He birdied the intimidating par-3 12th hole and then converted a beautiful eagle on the par-5 13th hole to move to 6-under with Louis Oosthuizen and Matt Kuchar. Mickelson is 4-under through the first four holes on the second nine, with another likely birdie opportunity ahead of him at No. 15. Video of Phil’s eagle putt at No. 13:

Former British Open Champion Oosthuizen reeled off three straight birdies and went out in 34 to tie Kuchar at 6-under atop the leaderboard. Oosthuizen’s not a bomber, but his steady tee-to-green play has him right there heading to his final nine holes of the third round.

There’s plenty of congestion at the top of the leaderboard as the third round progresses at the 2012 Masters. There are 17 players within three shots of the lead as the last groups finish up the first nine. Francesco Molinari has taken full advantage of “moving day” at Augusta National, climbing 21 spots up the leaderboard and just two shots off the lead at 4-under though 16 holes. Hunter Mahan has matched Molinari’s move, climbing from even par to 4-under and just two shots back with two holes to play.

Matt Kuchar broke a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard, with former Champion Golfer of the Year Louis Oosthuizen and Henrik Stenson. Kuchar, leading at 6-under, has always played Augusta National well, even as an amateur during his time at Georgia Tech. He’s emerged as one of the best American golfers and should certainly be a favorite over the final 27 holes. Kuchar’s beautiful birdie putt, on a nasty slider at No. 9, pushed him in front by one. An animated gif of the putt below:

The 2012 Masters is currently seeing its leaders open their third round of play on Saturday. While some of the players who entered the day looking to gain ground are off to shaky starts, many golfers are making some significant gains, including Matt Kuchar, who is 2-under for the day and now joins Jason Dufner and Lee Westwood atop the leaderboard.

Dufner birdied his second hole to pick up a stroke on Westwood, but bogeyed on the par-3 fourth hole. Meanwhile, Fred Couples, who entered the day tied with Dufner at 5-under, bogeyed his first two holes. Couples had an attempt at a birdie on hole four, but his shot went wide left.

The 2012 Masters is holding its third round of play on Saturday. As the late groups and those atop the leaderboard tee off, there is a flurry of movement. Rory McIlroy begin the day at 4-under and one stroke off the leaders, but double-bogeyed his first hole, a par-4, and slides down to a tie for ninth place.

Sergio Garcia also started the day at 4-under, but likewise bogeyed on the first hole. Bubba Watson made for the third golfer at 4-under to open his round with a bogey, as it looks like the first hole may be an issue for the remainder of the tournament.

Tiger Woods headed into his third round of the 2012 Masters on Saturday looking to recover from a terrible end to his play on Friday. To some extent, Woods made some strides, but be probably meant to accomplish more than manage to stand part. Woods entered Saturday at 3-over and finished his third round holding the same score, well behind current leaders Jason Dufner and Fred Couples, both at 5-under.

Woods got off to a strong start for the second day in a row, with birdies on holes three and four. He then bogeyed on holes six and nine and visions of his five bogeys on Friday began to creep in. He manages to keep even throughout his back nine, however, not getting into a larger deficit but missing several attempts at birdie.

In Saturday’s third round at the 2012 Masters, Tiger Woods has had plenty of chances to convert birdies, but has come up short time and time again. He birdied holes three and four, but a pair of bogeys in his front nine erased his forward progress and brought him back to 3-over for the tournament.

Woods has stayed at par through the back nine through 17 holes, but the birdie has escaped his grasp several times. His latest attempt at a birdie came on a putt from a reasonable distance on the par-4 hole 17, but the attempt went just left and Woods was once again forced to settle for par.

The third round of the 2012 Masters in Augusta is underway on Saturday. In the first significant move of the third round, Justin Rose has made significant strides, jumping sixteen spots on the leaderboard into a tie for eighth place on the strength of three consecutive birdies in his front nine.

Rose entered the day having shot an even par on each of his first two rounds on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, however, he is off to a rollicking start, with birdies on holes six, seven and eight to put him at 3-under, just two strokes off the pace of leaders Fred Couples and Jason Dufner, who have yet to tee off on Saturday.

On the par-5 13th hole, Woods missed a long birdie putt from the edge of the green when it just hit the left lip of the hole.

Tiger’s struggles in this year’s tournament are most tangible when looking at his past figures on par-5 holes. Over the past three years at the Masters, Woods has managed at least 10-under on par-5 holes at Augusta, but this week, he has been only 1-under on the same holes.

Tiger Woods’ struggles on Friday in Augusta have carried over into Saturday’s round three play. Woods once again started strong in his third round at the 2012 Masters on Saturday, with back-to-back birdies on holes three and four, but again began faltering as shots kept going awry.

Woods bogeyed on holes six and nine, bringing him even for the day and taking his cumulative score back up to 3-over, which is where he began the day. On hole 11, he again ran into trouble with a shot that landed well off the mark, drawing visual and audible frustration, but Woods recovered admirably on his next shot with a close approach that allowed him to salvage par.

In the third round of the 2012 Masters on Saturday, the early pairings are mostly standing pat. One of the golfers making some strides on Saturday over his first two rounds is Sang-Moon Bae, who has steadily improved at Augusta since his opening round.

On Saturday, Bae started off very strong with an eagle on hole two and a birdie on hole six, bringing him to 3-under on the day and shooting him up the leaderboard at a cumulative 1-over. He once again ran into a spot of trouble on hole seven, however, picking up a bogey on the par-four hole to bring him even on the tournament, five strokes off the pace of leaders Fred Couples and Jason Dufner, who have not yet teed off for their third round.

The third round of the 2012 Masters is already off to a hot start long before the leaders have even teed off on Saturday. Tiger Woods is in search of his fifth green jacket in Augusta, but early on, his third round is eerily beginning to resemble his performance in the second round on Friday that brought with it so much frustration for the gold superstar.

Noted golf enthusiast Woods began his third round on Saturday at 3-over. He started with even par through his first two holes before back-to-back birdies on holes three and four. He again made par on hole five before coming up with a bogey on his sixth hole, a par-3.

The third round of the 2011 Masters in Augusta is underway. Entering Saturday’s play, Tiger Woods was sitting at 3-over and far behind the leaders as a result of his five bogeys on Friday. So far, Saturday’s play is going much better for Woods, who is in pursuit of his fifth green jacket and Masters win.

Woods shot an even par on his first two holes before hitting birdies on holes three and four, which are a par-4 and par-5, respectively. The strong start brings him down to 1-over and gets him started on the right foot.

As Round 3 of the 2012 Masters continues to push along, five players have found themselves tied at 2-under through the first part of the day. Sang-Moon Bae eagled his second hole to put him at 2-under through the first two holes while Tiger Woods picked up back-to-back birdies to find himself at 2-under through five holes and 1-over for the tournament.

Luke Donald is also tied atop the Round 3 leaderboard after nine holes of gold, bringing his total for the tournament to 2-over. Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler is still shooting even through his first nine holes, not improving on his 4-over total for the 2012 Masters.

The third round of the 2012 Masters teed off on Saturday morning with a few notable players down near the bottom of the leaderboard. Jason Dufner and Fred Couples still sit tied atop the leaderboard, both shooting a 5-under through the first two rounds of the Masters, but neither tee off until later Saturday afternoon. It would take some wonderful rounds by the bottom half of the field to catch up.

A few golfers have already teed off this morning. Rickie Fowler is shooting 1-under today through three holes of golf, which brings his total for the Masters to 3-over. Robert Karlsson and Scott Verplank are both tied at 4-over for the Masters and are shooting even in their third round today through the first two holes.