Wells Fargo Championship 2014: J.B. Holmes leads, Phil Mickelson charges back

Phil Mickelson’s up-and-down week continued during the third round of the Wells Fargo Classic, with Lefty racing up the leaderboard and back into contention with a 9-under round of 63. Mickelson jumped from 30th place to third and trails J.B. Holmes by two shots through 54 holes.

Mickelson fell off the lead on Friday after shooting a 3-over 75. He didn’t waste any time making up ground, though, going on a red-number string starting at No. 3. He birdied four straight holes and headed to the par-5, seventh hole with a good chance to pick up another stroke. He didn’t settle for birdie, drilling a beautiful second shot into the green and holing the 14-foot eagle putt to drop to 6-under on the round. He wasn’t done yet, notching a birdie on No. 8 to make six straight holes in the red. He made the turn at 29 and while he only managed to shoot a 34 on the back nine, it was still good enough to shoot 63 and drop to 11-under heading into the final day.

“I was able to put everything together,” Mickelson said, via PGA Tour.com. “I played well from tee to green. I hit the ball well, put it in play, I hit good iron shots and was able to capitalize on those shots with some good putts, and it feels good because I hadn’t really been able to put it all together this year.”

Mickelson trails Holmes by two with Martin Flores alone in second place at 12-under. Holmes jumped to the top of the leaderboard with a 6-under round of 66. He carded seven birdies on the day with the only blemish coming on a bogey at No. 9. Flores carded a third straight round in the 60s, shooting a 3-under 69.

Although he didn’t quite make the charge Mickelson did, Rory McIlroy also played his way back into contention. He shot a 7-under 65, dropping to 6-under for the tournament. He made the cut right on the line, but will have a chance to set a low number on Sunday if he can come close to duplicating the success he found on Saturday.

Here is a complete look at the leaderboard through 54 holes: