AUGUSTA, Ga. — Two players from different ends of the spectrum each made Augusta National look vulnerable Saturday.

Now, Peter Hanson and Phil Mickelson will be paired for the final round at the Masters.

Hanson, making his second appearance at the year’s first major, shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-shot lead over Mickelson, who put on a short-game clinic Saturday to land in good position for a fourth green jacket.

After his day of precise shot-making ended with an approach to near tap-in range on No. 18 for a birdie, Hanson was at 9-under 207. Mickelson, meanwhile, shot 30 on the back – one shy of the course record – to close a round of 66 that left him at 8 under.

“I was just trying to do the boring stuff,” Hanson said. “Trying to hit every shot, put it in play off the tee, give myself a chance.”

And leave the excitement to Mickelson.

He delivered, never more than on the 15th hole, when he opened up his 64-degree wedge and took a full swing from the back of the green. The flop shot landed 4 feet away for a birdie that got him to 7 under.

“There was some risk in that one,” Mickelson said.

To close the day, Mickelson posted a 3 on the par-4 18th, making him 3 for 3 in birdies there this week: Not a bad memory to fall back on should he have a chance to win it come closing time today.

“I love it here, and I love nothing more than being in the last group on Sunday at the Masters,” Mickelson said. “It’s the great thing in professional golf.”

Mickelson gave the leaderboard some star power when so many others faded or, in the case of Tiger Woods, never came close to getting there. Woods now has gone 26 consecutive holes on the back nine at Augusta without a birdie. He had to settle for a 72 and was 12 shots behind, his largest 54-hole deficit ever at the Masters.

But he wasn’t alone.

U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, who started the day one shot out of the lead, made double bogey from the trees on the first hole and it only got worse from there. He had three 6s on his card and went out in 42, finishing with a 77 that left him 10 shots behind.

McIlroy played with Sergio Garcia, who shot 75. Neither made a birdie until No. 12, and they hugged each other on the green to celebrate.

Fred Couples, at 52 the oldest player atop the leaderboard going into the weekend at Augusta, bogeyed his first two holes and tried to stay in the game. He wound up with a 75 and was seven shots behind.

A win would give Mickelson his fourth green jacket, same as Woods and Arnold Palmer.

But this is far from a two-man race.

Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen rode his sweet swing to a 69 and was only two shots behind. Bubba Watson birdied the last hole for a 70 and was three shots back, followed by Matt Kuchar, who joined Mickelson as the first players in 13 years to birdie the 18th hole each of the first three rounds.

The group at 4-under 212 included Lee Westwood (72) and Padraig Harrington, who shot 68 and summed up what awaits today.

“It’s not the player that plays the most consistent that wins at the Masters. The player who plays probably some of the most exciting golf wins at the Masters,” Harrington said. “It’s not really a contest of fairways and greens. It’s a bit more flamboyancy in it.

“You only have to look at the way Phil has won some of his majors. You’ve got to take on golf shots.”

For the second straight round, Woods failed to birdie any of the par 5s. In his previous 17 years at the Masters, he had gone birdie-free on the par 5s only twice.

“I unfortunately did not play the par 5s very well today,” Woods said. “I’m telling you, it was just so close to being a really good round of golf.”