Triplett catches up with Mickelson

Kirk Triplett birdied two of the final three holes for a nine-under-par 63 to climb into a tie for the fourth round lead with Phil Mickelson at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on Saturday.

Triplett's score was his lowest since winning the Reno-Tahoe Open last August and it put him level with overnight leader Mickelson (67) at 26-under-par 262 in the 90-hole event being played over four courses.

Kenny Perry (64) is third at 25-under 264, while 50-year-old Jay Haas (67), last year's runner-up, is at 24-under 264.

Ben Crane (68), Skip Kendall (66) and Danny Ellis (64) are tied for fifth at 23-under 265.

The 72-hole cut came at 11-under 277.

Triplett carded seven birdies and an eagle on the Indian Wells Country Club course and he has not scored worse than par in his last 74 holes dating back to the 17th in the final round of the season-opening Mercedes Championships.

It is a feat Triplett was able to joke about after his round.

"I've made some great par saves but there's been a few times where I've been thinking I need to make one [bogey] and get it over with," he said.

Bogeys -- two of them by Mickelson on the back nine at Bermuda Dunes Country Club -- opened the door for Triplett and the rest of the field.

Mickelson had made just two bogeys in the previous 63 holes.

Despite the stumble, Mickelson's 26-under score is the best 72-hole stretch of his career.

And though MIckelson has 21 PGA Tour wins -- the second most of any active PGA Tour player -- he has not won in his previous 31 starts dating back to the 2002 Canon Greater Hartford Open.

Sunday's final round will put Mickelson in somewhat unfamiliar territory.

"The more you're in contention, the more comfortable you feel in those surroundings or in that situation," he said.

"But the less you are in contention, the harder it seems to be to break through.

"I'm hoping that maybe the experience that I had in 2002 will help out and give me some positive momentum for tomorrow."

Perry put himself back in contention with his 64 that included consecutive eagles at the par-five fifth and sixth holes at La Quinta Country Club.

"In my 18 years, I don't know if I've ever done that, made back to back eagles," he said. "There's not too many places you have back-to-back par-fives either."

Perry knows that he, along with the front-runners, will have to continue to post low scores in order to win.

"I need to go out there somehow and shoot five, six, seven-under again," Perry said. "It's going to be a shootout. It's going to be interesting to see how it goes tomorrow."

The four par-72 courses being used for the event are PGA West, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes and La Quinta with the final round played at PGA West.

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