AUGUSTA, Ga. » Tiger Woods was in the back of Amen Corner when he heard the first roar that signaled Phil Mickelson had just eagled the par-5 13th.

The world's No. 1-ranked golfer was in the middle of the 13th fairway when roar No. 2, no more than 150 yards to his right, was a good clue the eagle had just landed at the 14th as well, dropping Woods six shots behind his American rival in a matter of minutes.

Woods had finally made a birdie of his own at the par-5 13th when Mickelson sent roar No. 3 into the fading light on this special Masters afternoon when a chip for eagle from 89 yards missed by the length of a scorecard pencil, resulting in a tap-in birdie for Phil the Thrill.

If Woods wanted to be fitted for a fifth green jacket, he knew in a hurry it was time to catch the birdie train from here to the clubhouse or risk becoming yesterday's news. He did just that with birdies at 14, 15 and 18 to help ease the pain of five bogeys for the day, including one at the tricky 17th.

This was no routine 70 for Woods, who got so frustrated with himself at the par-3 sixth that he yelled out, “;You suck, blank damn it”; for all the patrons to hear, including millions of viewers tuned in to CBS.

A lesser man would have gone to the house, thrown his golf bags in the trunk of his car and never played the game again. Well, at least until next Saturday. But Woods dug deep in his golf bag to keep from being pushed to the side of the road to remain alive entering today's final round of the 74th Masters.

An equally brave round was turned in by 54-hole leader Lee Westwood. Paired in the final group with Ian Poulter, he got to see and hear how his five-shot lead over Mickelson was turned into a one-shot deficit in only 35 minutes as Mickelson stepped on the 16th tee.

“;It seemed much quicker,”; Westwood quipped in the media center.

He also watched as Woods climbed off the deck after three-putting for bogey for a third time at the 10th, to steadily chop into Westwood's seven-shot advantage on a frantic back nine that had 30,000-something patrons not knowing where to go to next.

Lost in this amazing shuffle was old man Fred Couples, whose eagle at the par-5 15th dropped him to 8 under for the tournament en route to a top-five effort through 54 holes. Had his back not gone out on him Friday, who knows where the newest member of the Champions Tour would be.

As it stands, Westwood (68) will have a one-shot lead on Mickelson (67), his playing partner for today, and a four-shot advantage on Woods and K.J. Choi (70). They will be paired for a fourth time, which should be worth a couple of bonus strokes for Choi, the past Sony Open in Hawaii champion.

As Choi and Woods exited the 18th green, Woods flashed his famous smile and shook Choi's hand after he sank a 4-footer for birdie guaranteeing their pairing. Choi didn't seem to mind as he tries to become the first Asian ever to wear a green jacket.

Alone in fifth, some five shots back, is Couples, who watched with great interest a hole ahead of Mickelson as he tried to become the first person to card three consecutive eagles at this prestigious event. An errant drive at the 15th forced Mickelson to lay up at the famed par 5. He stood in the fairway as Couples chipped in for eagle from the back of the green, sending up another roar to the heavens.

What can we expect for today and how can the encore be any better than this fabulous Saturday afternoon of golf? Once Westwood made the turn for home, you couldn't move folks on the closing nine with a pitchfork. It was tight viewing as patrons went from here to there and back again, trying to watch their favorite golfers tear up the green rug.

As the final round approaches, can Westwood shake off the demons that have kept him from being among the game's greats? Can Mickelson set aside his own drama of taking care of a wife and mother battling breast cancer to win another green jacket? And can any of them beat the Tiger in these moments in time that he lives for? And what about K.J. or Freddie; can they beat back the game's best on the grandest stage of them all? Mickelson described it all this way with his wife and mother in the Masters house:

“;I love this tournament more than any other. I love being in contention on Sunday. It would be cool (to win with them here). It's fun just being together.”;

And even more fun if Phil finds a way to win his fourth major. There are at least 18 holes remaining. As Neil Diamond once sang, “;Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies.”; The salvation show is about to begin.

Sports editor Paul Arnett covers golf for the Star-Bulletin. Watch for his reports from the Masters throughout the week.