AUGUSTA, Ga.--Phil Mickelson sailed blissfully beneath the radar during the first two days of this Masters for the ages. He lurked on the leaderboard, sure, but so did Tiger Woods in his return from tawdry hibernation. And Tom Watson, spinning magic at 60. And sock-less Fred Couples, zooming into contention at 50. Those tantalizing storylines slipped into the background Saturday, as Mickelson added another layer to his own compelling tale. He vaulted into the picture with an electric 67--highlighted by a memorable stretch in which he nearly made three consecutive eagles--to land in the last pairing for today's final round. Mickelson will join Lee Westwood, the leader by one shot after his third-round 68. Westwood reached 12-under-par for the tournament, with Mickelson at 11-under and Woods (70) and K.J. Choi (70) four shots back at 8-under. Couples (68) kept himself in the conversation, five shots off the pace. For all the chatter about Woods possibly winning his first tournament in nearly five months, Mickelson's third Masters title also would resonate loudly. This stretches beyond his four-year drought in majors, deeper than his sluggish start to the 2010 season. Mickelson, remember, is still coping with a double-dose of personal turmoil, given last year's diagnoses of breast cancer for his wife, Amy, and his mom, Mary. Mary Mickelson apparently is recovering nicely from her treatment, but Amy, while in Augusta this week, hasn't felt well enough to leave the family's rented house. Just picture the emotion if Mickelson were to win the Masters and Amy--who has made hardly any public appearances in the past year--showed up for the green-jacket ceremony. 'I don't think the fans can come close to appreciating what he's going through, with all the extra things on his plate,' Phil Mickelson Sr. said, standing near the No. 18 green moments after his son finished Saturday's third round. 'He's certainly much more relieved right now, knowing the prognosis is so good for both. 'You think about what his life would be like in (Amy's) absence, and you just can't go there. We just don't even want to talk about it.' Mickelson gave his family reason to exult on a picture-postcard spring afternoon. Westwood stood on the brink of an English romp, building a five-shot lead early on the back nine. Mickelson had moved into second place, but Woods was wobbling and Ian Poulter, who began the day tied with Westwood, also was faltering. Then, suddenly, Mickelson leaped into action, the equivalent of a 3-point shooter in basketball abruptly climbing into The Zone. He stuffed his 7-iron shot to 8 feet on No. 13 and made the eagle putt. On No. 14, he dropped his 141-yard wedge shot left of the flagstick--and the ball caught the slope and tumbled into the hole for another eagle. The gallery's roar reverberated throughout Augusta National. Even Mickelson's swing coach, Butch Harmon, went nuts. He was standing about 90 yards away, with a clear view of the hole, when Mickelson's ball disappeared. 'Butch started screaming,' said Tim Mickelson, Phil's brother and the golf coach at the University of San Diego. 'I almost had to remind him it was Saturday, not Sunday.' Mickelson nearly pulled off a stunning triple play when his third shot on No. 15, from 87 yards, missed the flagstick by no more than 2 feet. He tapped in for birdie, completing a frenetic 35-minute stretch in which he soared from five shots behind Westwood to one shot ahead. Westwood appreciated the magnitude of the moment. 'It was one of those great days in a major championship,' he said. 'I was well aware somebody was making a charge, and I figured it was Phil.' Told he went from a five-shot lead to one-shot deficit in only 35 minutes, Westwood grinned and said, 'It seemed quicker.' Westwood will get a first-hand view of Mickelson today, with Woods one group ahead. If the energy rivals Saturday's scene in any way, it should be a rollicking good time. 