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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 7, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 4, 2005 Mickelson in contention heading into today’s final round By TOM SALADINO The Associated Press DULUTH, Ga. — Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els skipped the BellSouth Classic to focus on the Masters. Not Phil Mickelson. Tuning up for his Masters defense, Mickelson shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday to move within a stroke of leader Scott McCarron with one round to play in the rain-delayed BellSouth Classic. McCarron, the 1997 and 2001 winner at the TPC at Sugarloaf, shot his second straight 69 for a 6-under 138 total on the Greg Norman-designed course. Ashland native Jason Allred made the cut despite shooting a 75. He is tied for 22nd heading into the final round. Mickelson, the No. 4 player in the world and a two-time winner this season, had the best round of the tournament as conditions improved with sun, temperatures in the low 60s and wind of 15-20 mph. He holed a 26-yard pitch for eagle on the 310-yard, par-4 13th, and had six birdies and a bogey in the round. Advertisement "I love playing the week before a major and I love how this tournament has set the course up as close as Augusta as possible," Mickelson said. "The greens are the same, the areas around the greens are the same. I think that it’s a great place to start hitting the shots that I will need to hit at the Masters." Mickelson opened the day tied for 61st after a 74 on Saturday in the opening round that was plagued by rain, sleet, snow and 40 mph wind. Rain washed out play on Thursday and Friday, forcing PGA Tour officials to shorten the tournament to 54 holes and push the finish back to today. "I knew I needed to do something. I was fortunate to be able to do it and at least have a chance going into tomorrow," Mickelson said. "Being within one of the lead heading into tomorrow should be a fun opportunity to try to win this tournament." Jose Maria Olazabal (69) and first-round co-leader Billy Mayfair (69) matched Mickelson at 5 under, and Arron Oberholser (68), Tag Ridings (68), Brian Bateman (68), Joey Snyder III (69) and Rich Beem (70) were 4 under. Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (69) was 3 under in a group that included defending champion Zach Johnson (66). Mickelson is one of the 19 players remaining in the field who will play in the Masters, beginning Thursday at Augusta National. Six others withdrew, including Stuart Appleby and Chris DiMarco, without ever hitting a shot. It was never a thought for Mickelson. "I enjoy being able to play a competitive round closer to the start of the Masters," Mickelson said. "When you don’t have a chance to practice for a couple of days, I understand why some guys pulled out. It’s individual preference." Mickelson practiced for 10 hours at Augusta on Tuesday. McCarron, who has won only one other tournament away from this course, can’t explain his success here. "It’s a golf course that I really love," McCarron said. "I look forward to coming here. Certainly winning twice, but I’ve missed the cut a few times here, too. I’ve played good and I’ve played not so good." Olazabal had a 40 on the front, including a triple bogey on the 248-yard, par-3 eighth when he had a two-shot penalty. He shot a 29 on the back, including an eagle 2 on No. 13 when he chipped in from 15 yards and three straight birdies to end his round. "Well, it’s been a kind of a special one or a strange one, call it whatever you want," said Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion. The triple bogey came when he hit his tee shot into the right bunker. His second shot went outside the bunker, then trickled back in and was still rolling when his club hit the sand. "The ball pitched outside the bunker and then came back in," Olazabal said. "By then I already hit the sand with my club, so it was a two-stroke penalty." He said he didn’t bang his club in frustration. "Not really, I think more a reflex than anything else," Olazabal said. "Let’s put it this way, the club fell from my hands." There were still 33 players on the course when play was suspended by darkness. The cut, which will come after those players complete their rounds Monday morning, is expected to be at 2 over. Rain has affected eight of the 14 PGA Tour events so far this year. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s