The group chasing him includes two guys who have won this year - Nick Watney, who shot 67 and is two shots behind; and Kenny Perry, who had a 64 and is another shot back.
And Tiger Woods was nowhere to be found. Only this time, he’s actually playing in the tournament.
Mickelson finished strong for the second straight day and put himself in the last group at Doral for the first time in three years. His foil on the Blue Monster typically is Woods, but Lefty will be keeping different company this time.
Woods was 10 shots behind.
“It kind of (stinks),” Mickelson said. “I hope he comes out tomorrow and plays a great round and makes a move. I would love to get him back from ’05. I came close in ’05 and got beat, and I would love the opportunity to play head-to-head.”
Mickelson was at 13-under 131 and will have to settle for Watney, the only player who has yet to make a bogey.
Rory McIlroy, the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland trying to become the youngest PGA Tour winner in history, finished with an eagle and a birdie on two dangerous holes for a 66 and was two shots behind. He was tied with Perry, 48, who has three children older than McIlroy.
Woods beat Mickelson in an electric final round four years ago at Doral that came down to the last shot. They were paired again in the last group in the third round in 2006, and Woods beat him again. This time, Woods looks like just another player in the field.
He again struggled with his distance control, the frustration growing with every shot too long or too short, leaving him few birdie chances. He made some progress, though - a 70, one shot better than Thursday.
But he was at 3-under 141 and in a tie for 35th in the 80-man field at this World Golf Championship. Told that Mickelson was disappointed he could not face Woods, the world’s No. 1 player smiled.
“Me, too,” he said. “What am I? Ten back? That’s not a very good spot to be in. Hopefully tomorrow I can shoot a good round and at least give myself somewhat of a chance going into Sunday.”
Woods returned from knee surgery two weeks ago in match play, but this is first stroke-play event since he won the U.S. Open last June, and it showed. It was the first time in his 19 starts at a WGC event that he has failed to break 70 in the first two rounds.
And he never has been this low on the leaderboard at any time, let alone the weekend.
“I need to play well and I need to have help, and that’s the problem when you’re so far back,” Woods said. “You’re not really in control of your destiny being that far back.”
He didn’t have much control of his shots, either.
The worst of it came on the par-5 10th, when he was in the middle of the fairway with a 3-iron in his hand. Feeling it should have been a 4-iron, Woods blocked it into the bunker. He blasted out long and onto the fringe, caught the lip with his birdie putt, then missed his 3-foot putt for par. It was his first bogey on a par 5 at Doral since the 12th hole in the second round in 2005.
Mickelson also made bogey on a par 5 at No. 12 when he hooked his first tee shot out of play. But he escaped with a bogey, the only big blunder of the round. He ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch starting on No. 14 and seized control at the end of his round.
First, he chipped in for birdie from about 20 feet short of the seventh green. Then came his best swing of the day, carving a 3-wood around the palms, over the water and into a slight breeze from 245 yards into 15 feet on the par-5 eighth. He two-putted for birdie.
That gave Mickelson a cushion entering the weekend, but he’s been around long enough to not let that excite him.
Watney last month won at Torrey Pines with two birdies on the final three holes, his second career victory. About the only thing he has in common with Mickelson is a swing coach - Butch Harmon - but he has played a half-dozen times with Mickelson.
A dozen more players were within five shots of the lead, from all over the world.
Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng, who first struck a golf ball with a club he fashioned from a bamboo stick and bicycle tires, was atop the board until a triple bogey on 18. He shot 70 and was at 9-under 135 with Camilo Villegas and Rod Pampling.
