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Phil Mickelson is tied for the lead in the Houston Open as he prepares for next week's Masters.
He doesn't see why he can't win 'em both.
Mickelson shot his lowest round in two years on Saturday, tying the course record with a 9-under 63 to join Scott Verplank atop the leaderboard through three rounds on the Tournament Course at Redstone.
Verplank, coping with soreness in his left wrist, shot his second straight 65 to catch Mickelson at 13-under par. Aaron Baddeley (66) and second-round leader Chris Kirk (69) were one stroke back, and defending champion Anthony Kim and David Hearn (66) were two behind.
Mickelson, the defending Masters champion, has won the last four events during which he had a round of 64 or better, dating to the 2006 BellSouth Classic. That year, he earned his second green jacket the following week and is the last player to win the event before Augusta and the Masters in the same year.
The Houston Open became the run-up tournament to the first major in 2007, and Mickelson is here for the fourth straight year. He said winning the week before the '06 Masters gave him a valuable boost, and he sees no disadvantage in trying to duplicate that feat.
Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6284473
