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Mickelson seizes Shanghai lead

Shanghai - Phil Mickelson birdied the last for a two stroke lead over Tiger Woods and Nick Watney at the HSBC Champions on Saturday, setting up a dream finale to the World Golf Championship event.

The world number two stroked a 67 to be 14 under for the tournament on 202, with Woods and Watney, the joint second round leaders, breathing down his neck after firing 70s.

American Ryan Moore is fourth, three off the lead, while England's Lee Westwood, who lost to Mickelson in 2007 in a playoff, is a shot further back after a best-of-the-day 65.

The Ryder Cup ace leads the Race to Dubai - the European money list - with two events to go.

Just behind him is India's Jyoti Randhawa and American Anthony Kim with Ernie Els and a group of three others another shot adrift.

Mickelson beat Woods at the last tournament they played together, the Tour Championships, and has won here before, but Woods is the form World Golf Championship player, having claimed 16 of the 30 events he has entered.

Under overcast skies and in breezy conditions, Mickelson started the day one shot behind but birdied three of the opening eight holes before dropping a shot on the difficult ninth, where he found the trees.

Another birdie on the 14th kept him level pegging on top of the scoreboard and when he drilled another on the next hole he was in the outright lead for the first time.

He picked up another shot at the last to give himself a two shot cushion.

"I was pleased to shoot a 67, it was a good round," he said.

"The biggest thing was that I didn't make too many mistakes. I had a bogey on nine but kept the ball in play and took advantage of some of the other birdie holes."

Mickelson added that he was pleased to be playing the final round with Woods, with bumper crowds assured.

"I know we are both looking forward to it. I think it will be a fun day and we are excited to be playing in the last group here in China."

Woods was in the last group out Saturday and, followed by thousands of fans, grabbed his first birdie of the day on the second when he putted from four feet after a pinpoint approach.

Birdies on the fifth and eighth kept him on track but a drive into the sand at the ninth had him in trouble and he dropped a shot to go to the turn at 12 under.

Woods recovered by picking up a shot on the 10th but hit another bogey on the next before parring the following seven holes.

He said it was harder out there than the previous two days.

"It was a little bit more difficult certainly, I didn't putt as well as I did the first two days," he said, adding that he too was looking forward to playing with Mickelson.

"Yeah, I mean we're right there. Unfortunately I'm two back but it's just one of those things where Nick (Watney) and I have got a chance and we are going to have to go out there and play well."

Watney sank a 45-foot putt for an eagle at the last to ensure he plays with the golfing superstars on Sunday.

"It was really nice to make because I three putted the 17th for a bogey so that kind of evened it out," he said.

"I thought I've played pretty well overall, considering it's my first time playing with Tiger in a tournament and I was happy that I was able to concentrate and play the shots I needed to."

Elsewhere, defending champion Sergio Garcia recovered from a poor opening round with a 69 to be 12 behind Mickelson but another former winner, Korea's Yang Yong-Eun, struggled with a 75 to be 16 shots adrift.

Third round scores from the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament at Sheshan International Golf Club on Saturday:

202 - Phil Mickelson (USA) 69-66-67

204 - Tiger Woods (USA) 67-67-70, Nick Watney (USA) 64-70-70

205 - Ryan Moore (USA) 66-69-70

206 - Lee Westwood (ENG) 70-71-65

208 - Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 68-70-70, Anthony Kim (USA) 67-69-72

209 - Ernie Els (RSA) 70-71-68, Martin Kaymer (GER) 66-74-69, Lin Wen-Tang (TPE) 67-72-70, Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 72-67-70

210 - Retief Goosen (RSA) 71-71-68, Thongchai Jaidee 71-69-70, Paul Casey (ENG) 67-73-70, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 73-67-70, Brian Gay (USA) 69-69-72

211 - Rory McIlroy (NIR) 73-68-70, Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 72-74-65, Shane Lowry (IRL) 66-74-71, Koumei Oda (JPN) 70-69-72, Alvaro Quiros (ESP) 69-66-76

212 - Robert Allenby (AUS) 73-69-70, Ross Fisher (ENG) 70-70-72, Alexander Noren (SWE) 70-71-71, Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) 69-72-71, Matt Kuchar (USA) 68-72-72, Camilo Villegas (COL) 70-69-73, Pat Perez (USA) 68-69-75

213 - Simon Dyson (ENG) 72-69-72, Jason Dufner (USA) 69-71-73

214 - Sergio Garcia (ESP) - 75-70-69

Selected:

215 - Padraig Harrington (IRL) 74-69-72, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 69-72-74, Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 73-72-70

218 - Yang Yong-Eun (KOR) 72-71-75, Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 74-68-76

219 - Liang Wenchong (CHN) 73-73-73

220 - Stewart Cink (USA) 71-74-75, Ian Poulter (ENG) 72-69-79, Jerry Kelly (USA) 71-75-74

221 - Sean O'Hair (USA) 74-71-76, Steve Marino (USA) 77-70-74

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