HITS AND MISSES

Hit: At five over par over his previous 14 holes, having somehow careened from seven shots ahead of Steve Stricker to two shots behind, Phil Mickelson took a nine-iron to the par-three No. 16 and nailed it to within four feet seven inches, arranging birdie. It not only helped him; it healed him.

Miss: In the Golf Is Mean And Vicious division, there stood Fred Couples, at age 49, in his 27th appearance in the tournament, with possibly his last chance to win on the PGA Tour, on the last hole, on the right of the fairway, with a seven-iron, 176 yards away, down by one shot -- and shoving a 71-yard howler into a thudding meeting with a eucalyptus.