Mickelson's a threat to Westwood

Lee Westwood, not for the first time, was carrying European hopes on his shoulders as Phil Mickelson came charging into the picture at golf’s richest event today.

Third, third and second in the last three majors, Westwood reached the midway point of his Players Championship third round joint leader with American Heath Slocum.

But while Tiger Woods remained deep in the pack after finishing his 71 with back-to-back bogeys Mickelson shot 66 – even with a five on the last as well - to reignite his chances of taking the world number one spot after 244 weeks at second.

From nine adrift like Woods at halfway the Masters champion was four back as the leaders entered the back nine and his main hope therefore was that they did not convert that into a six or seven-shot gap.

A young boy appeared to have that hope too.

As he received an autograph from Mickelson Woods came past and the youngster of around eight said out loud: “Tiger, say so long to number one – kiss it goodbye.”

For that to happen Mickelson, who told the boy “be polite”, will have to win and Woods finish outside the top five.

Westwood, resuming 12 under after superlative rounds of 67 and 65, knew that in the blustery conditions and on a course becoming firmer all the time it was going to be hard to keep up such a pace.

His three closest challengers overnight – Slocum, Italian Francesco Molinari and Ryuji Imada – all bogeyed the first, but Westwood parred it and then two-putted the second for birdie.

Missing the green on the short next cost him a bogey, but a pitch to four feet followed immediately and after dropping another shot at the short eighth and falling one behind he came straight back on the long ninth after a superb 265-yard second over all the trouble.

Slocum had hit back from his start with birdies at the second, sixth and ninth and the pair were two clear of the chasing pack.

However, Luke Donald, joint sixth at halfway, and Graeme McDowell, tied 10th, had fallen outside the top 20.

Donald took seven on the ninth in an outward 39 for seven under, six back, while McDowell was on the same mark with three to play.

Slocum stepped up the pressure on Westwood by making further birdie putts of 14 and 10 feet at the 11th and 12th.

Westwood was unable to reply on the same stretch. After a great drive down the long 11th he found the left-hand rough and played a poor chip, then could do no better than par at the next either after pulling his drive into more rough.

They were 15 under and 13 under respectively, while Molinari was part of four-strong group tied for third on 11 under and both Donald and McDowell remained seven under and only 24th.