GOLF Mickelson revives hopes for U.S.

The American team tied a World Cup record with a 15-under par, but still trails Japan.
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) -- Phil Mickelson's spectacular performance has the United States back in contention at the World Cup.
Mickelson's outstanding driving and putting helped he and teammate David Toms to tie a World Cup record with a 15-under-par 57 in the third round Saturday of the two-man team event.
The Americans are at 27-under with one round remaining.
It still wasn't enough to catch the Japanese team of Shigeki Maruyama and Toshi Izawa, who nearly matched the Americans and finished at 30-under par after a round of 58 in the best-ball format.
But there was no doubt after Saturday who the rest of the field will be looking for today.
"We knew they would be coming," Maruyama said of the U.S. team's third round.
Slump ends
Mickelson buried his recent slump with a round that included 10 birdies and an eagle.
"I love to see golf played at that level," Toms said. "To see somebody get it going and get in the zone like everybody talks about."
Toms made only three birdies, but Mickelson said his partner's par-saving 8-foot putt at the par-3 5th -- where both hit their tee shots into bunkers -- kept the momentum going.
Toms also birdied the par-5 8th, getting up and down after hitting his tee shot into the left rough.
"I felt like I had birdie and it gave me the same momentum," Mickelson said. "David kept the round going."
Toms praised Mickelson's play.
"He's giving me way too much credit," Toms said. "We got off to a roaring start and then on the back side he got hot and I was kind of there to watch."
The smiling Maruyama and stoic Izawa had 12 birdies and an eagle, the latter by Izawa on the par-4 13th, where he holed his second shot from 75 yards.
"That was the shot of the day," Maruyama said through an interpreter. "That was the turning point."
Next
Fiji's team of Vijay Singh and Dinesh Chand was second at 29-under, Defending champion South Africa, with Rory Sabbatini and Tim Clark, was third at 28-under.
Both Fiji and South Africa shot 62 Saturday.
Canada, England and Scotland were next, all at 26-under par.
With Toms a spectator much of the day, the Americans put on an early rally that started with Mickelson making an 8-footer for birdie on the first hole and ended with his 15-foot birdie on 18.
Mickelson birdied the last three holes, and as he approached the 18th green was greeted by chants in Spanish of "champion, champion."
Mickelson birdied the first three holes, made an eagle at No. 10 where he reached the 536-yard, par-5 in two and two-putted from 25 feet, then birdied the next four holes with putts ranging from 15 feet to 2 inches.
The U.S. started the day seven shots back of Fiji, but quickly made up shots as Mickelson boomed 300-yard-plus drives and hit iron shots close to the pins at the Vista Vallarta course located on the edge of the Sierra Madres.
Mickelson's eagle at No. 10 got the U.S. to 20-under and after that seemingly every shot Mickelson hit headed for the flag.
"When it jumped from 18 to 20, we said to each other, 'Hey, we're here,' " Toms said.
Lefty hit a wedge to within 10 feet at No. 16, dropped a pinching wedge 10 feet behind the hole on the par-3 17th and left his final putt of the day ideally positioned below the hole on 18. His putt went into the heart of the hole as the gallery, which grew with every birdie, whistled and roared.