He’s Looking Out for No. 3

As the sun set in the west, Phil Mickelson rose in the east, workmanlike in working his way up the leaderboard at the 106th U.S. Open.

It didn’t seem possible for most of the day, as Mickelson chipped and chopped his way out of tall grass.

But he kept grinding and, being the cream of golf that he is, eventually bubbled to the surface.

When England’s Kenneth Ferrie missed a five-foot par putt on the 18th green, he and Mickelson were tied for the lead at Winged Foot, both at two-over 212 through 54 holes.

Mickelson, who has finished second at the U.S. Open three times, is on the precipice of another breakthrough.

“Let’s just wait another 24 hours and see if I put together one more good round,” he said.

Saying Mickelson and Ferrie are even might be a tad misleading. One is an untested and relatively unknown player and the other is Mickelson, now positioned to win his third consecutive major championship after claiming last year’s PGA title and this year’s Masters championship.

Ferrie is trying to become the first European since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the U.S. Open, and all he has to do is hold off the hottest hitter in golf, on partisan New York grounds.

“Has Phil had a major before?” Ferrie joked afterward. “Really?”

Ferrie, 27, is playing in his first U.S. Open and only his fourth major; he has competed in three British Opens.

Mickelson went winless in his first 46 majors, but he isn’t winless anymore.

How it stands after three days of sweat-stoked, birdie-starved holes: The golf course is winning.

With 18 holes left, Geoff Ogilvy is one shot behind at three-over 213 after shooting two-over 72 on Saturday.

Four players are three shots behind at five-over 215: Ian Poulter, Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie and 36-hole leader Steve Stricker.

Stricker was going along fine at Winged Foot, getting to two under after his birdie at the par-five fifth hole, but then it got ugly. He shot two over on the front, four over on the back and limped in with a six-over 76 -- happy to still be in contention.

If over par wins, as Mickelson predicted it would on Tuesday, consider anyone at six-over 216 to be within striking distance.

Included in that group are Padraig Harrington, former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and former Masters champ Mike Weir.

In 10 words or less, though, it was brutal out there.

It may be premature to compare this U.S. Open to the so-called 1974 “Massacre at Winged Foot,” when the prevailing score was seven over par.

But we may have a mugging in the making. In fact, the last time a U.S. Open leader was over par after 54 holes was in 1974, when Tom Watson was three over. Hale Irwin eventually won at seven-over 287.

Mickelson’s one-under 69 was one of only two sub-par rounds on the day.

Ferrie shot one-over 71 and it was good enough to keep him tied for the lead.

Consider Harrington’s plight: he was three-over par through 17 holes Saturday, only two shots off the lead, when he concluded play with a triple-bogey seven on the par-four 18th. Harrington nearly whiffed on an iron shot out of the fairway rough and was equally shaky once he found the green.

Poulter took a double bogey on No. 18 that turned a possible two-under 68 into an even-par 70. The breakdown: he chipped up to the green and the ball rolled back down.

“I would like to go back and redo that one,” Poulter said. “I hit a good golf shot, and that’s what I have to take into tomorrow.”

Graeme McDowell, Mickelson’s playing partner, had a similar experience on 18, watching his short approach to the green roll down to the very spot he was standing.

The 18th was the day’s toughest hole, playing to a 4.698 average. It produced 25 bogeys and seven doubles.

Montgomerie entered the day at even par, only one shot behind Stricker, but he face-planted out of the gate with a bogey, bogey, double-bogey start.

To his credit, he forged on and rallied to a respectable five-over 75.

“Five over after four is just what you’re looking for,” Montgomerie said sarcastically. “That was a disaster.”

David Duval shot two-under 68 on Friday and had some thinking this might be the tournament he found his once-championship form. He followed with a five-over 75 that left him tied for 32nd at 10-over 220.

There were plenty of doses of humility.

It was a wonder that Ferrie held up, given he has had trouble controlling his temper in the past and Winged Foot tends to bring out the worst in people.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve and that’s how I play golf,” Ferrie said. “That’s just it. I’m sure you got guys in America who are no different to me whatsoever. Most people have a temper, just some people choose to show it.”

Ferrie said it is no fluke that he’s standing here in contention. He’s a two-time winner on the European tour and he made it to the U.S. Open without having to go through qualifying.

“I’m a capable player,” Ferrie said. “I’ve won twice in Europe. Like I say, I’m not coming here as a local guy in England who happened to get lucky and qualify.”

But who is anybody kidding?

Mickelson is in the lead and Tiger Woods isn’t around to catch him.

Mickelson’s game has matured to the point where he painstakingly documents every inch of the courses he plays.

“I have notes on every shot from drive to iron to putt, chip,” Mickelson said. “This golf course has a lot of nuances.”

In other words, in terms of winning his fourth major, it’s all set up for him.