Phil Mickelson spent his Sunday morning moving into his favorite spot of late: the lead of a professional golf tournament.

Fred Couples tips his hat to the gallery as he walks onto the 18 green during the conclusion of the third round of the 2006 Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club Sunday April 9, 2006. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

Mickelson went to the top of the leaderboard late in the weather- and darkness-delayed third round. He was the 54-hole leader at 4-under-par 212, playing his final 13 holes of the round in 1-under par.

Mickelson, the 2004 Masters champ, began the final round aiming to become the first player since Sandy Lyle in 1988 to win the Masters a week after winning another tournament.

He won the BellSouth Classic by 13 strokes last week in suburban Atlanta.

Mickelson led Fred Couples and overnight leader Chad Campbell by one shot. Stephen Ames, Tiger Woods, Tim Clark, Darren Clarke, Vijay Singh and Rocco Mediate were two strokes back in a tie for fourth place.

Mickelson's lead would have been two except for a frustrating bogey at No. 18. A photographer's shutter clicked during the downswing of his tee shot.

"Come on guys, this is the Masters for crying out loud," Mickelson said as his drive drifted left of the fairway.

The incident clearly affected his concentration the rest of the hole. He hit his second shot right of the green and into the gallery, then he left his chip short of the green. He two-putted for bogey.

"Since I was a kid, I dreamt of winning this tournament and playing in this tournament," he said, "and to be leading and have a chance to win and to have that happen is upsetting."

Though Mickelson could regroup over lunch, Mediate's chances at winning a green jacket slipped, along with his foot. The 43-year-old, plagued by back problems, lost his footing while striking his approach shot at No. 15. He still made par on the hole.

He wrenched his back on the misstep and walked gingerly the last three holes. He struggled to pick up his tee after hitting his drive at No. 18 and made double bogey to fall from co-leader to the tie for fourth.

Couples, three years Mediate's senior, played like a young man in his prime Sunday morning. He bogeyed his third hole of the morning, No. 7, to slip to 1 under for the tournament. He rallied down the stretch, though, making back-to-back birdies at Nos. 15 and 16.

Campbell hung onto a share of second place despite a failure to stunt the bogey-string that began on his final two holes Saturday night. He bogeyed Nos. 7, 9, 14 and 16 and finished with 75.

Tim Clark, who began the morning a shot back of Campbell at 5 under, lost three shots on his final two holes of the round.

Reach Adam Van Brimmer at (404) 589-8424.

Moving day

A look at how Fred Couples and others finished their third round Sunday morning: