All-Around Day for Mickelson

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- If Phil Mickelson is going to win his first major title today, he’s going to have to play a lot differently than he did Saturday. Mickelson was all over the place -- four birdies and four bogeys -- in his round of par 72 that leaves him four shots off the lead ... and tied with Tiger Woods.

Here’s Phil’s explanation: “I hit some poor shots and some good ones. Some unsolid shots led to birdies. Some solid shots led to bogeys. I had a lot of chances to go low.”

Mickelson has been third the last two years at the Masters, both of them won by Woods.

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Mike Weir’s four-shot lead after 36 holes was the biggest at the Masters since Greg Norman had a four-shot lead over Nick Faldo in 1996. Norman shot a 78 in the last round and lost to Faldo by five shots.

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The cut wasn’t made until just before noon Saturday and claimed such golfers as Scott Hoch, Padraig Harrington, Tom Lehman, Lee Janzen, Tom Watson, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie, Jay Haas, Justin Leonard, Bernhard Langer, John Huston, David Duval, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

Duval’s 79-83 was his worst Masters showing in his eight appearances, beating his previous worst by 12 shots.

Duval, 31, and Nicklaus, 63, wound up with the same total of 18-over 162, thus establishing a couple of low-water marks for both.

In 43 appearances at the Masters, it was Nicklaus’ worst score. It’s only the fifth time he has missed the cut.

For Duval, it was the first time in 118 rounds in the majors he had shot in the 80s.

Nicklaus hinted he might not be back next year if the weather is bad again.

“The only way I can play this course the way it is if it’s fast,” Nicklaus said. “I didn’t enjoy the last two days. I didn’t play halfway decent. I didn’t enjoy or compete this year.

“If we have dry conditions, I’ll play [in 2004]. If it’s like this again next year, I may drop out on Wednesday. I don’t want to clutter up the field. I did this year.”

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A total of 49 players made the cut at five-over 149, with Woods right on the cut line. That’s the highest 36-hole cut this year, the highest since last year’s U.S. Open and the highest cut at the Masters in five years.

Langer had the longest streak of making the cut at the Masters, 19 years, which is now history. Fred Couples has 19 in a row now.

Player made the cut 23 consecutive times, from 1959-1982. Huston had made the Masters cut all 12 times he had played Augusta National.

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Count Player among those in the Nicklaus camp who favor throttling back on the golf ball.

“The PGA Tour will have to restrict the ball or it will be ridiculous,” he said. “The courses will be obsolete. They will have to shorten the ball 30 yards. In 30 years, they will be hitting the driver 400 yards. In 40 years, Tiger will be [thought of] as a short hitter.”

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The Masters announced a $400,000 increase in its prize money total for the tournament, to a tournament-record $6 million. The winner’s share is $1,008,000, a $72,000 boost over last year. Second place is worth $648,000.