Saturday 4 April 2015 18:18, UK
Phil Mickelson fired a second-round 67 but sits one off the pace after Andrew Putnam's birdie blitz at the Houston Open.
Three-time Masters champion Mickelson continued his fine form ahead of the first major of the year by posting seven birdies, but had to settle for tied-second heading in to the weekend after Putnam struck six gains from his final seven holes to move one clear on 12-under.
The world No 333 produced the lowest round of the day with a stunning seven-under 65, carding four birdies in a row from the third before falling narrowly short of a fifth successive gain from 30-foot at the seventh.
Putnam recovered from finding the rough at the par-five eighth to pick up another stroke and holed a 15-foot birdie at the last to complete the round.
Mickelson missed a six-foot par putt at the third but reached the turn in 32 after posting four birdies in his front nine, making three further gains including a 22-foot putt at the par-five 15th.
The world No 21 saw his advantage reduced to one shot after finding the thick hazard from the tee at the 17th for a bogey, but a strong tee-shot at the last allowed Mickelson to finish with a simple six-foot putt.
Austin Cook ended with four birdies in a row to join Mickelson on 11-under, with Canada's Graham DeLaet and Luke Guthrie in contention two shots adrift.
DeLaet reclaimed a share of the lead after rolling in a 30-foot birdie putt at the 13th, but made a rare error from eight feet at the penultimate hole.
Jordan Spieth produced a blemish-free second round 66 to continue his strong pre-Masters form, finishing with a 40-foot gain at the 18th to move nine-under for the week alongside Hunter Mahan, J.B Holmes and local favourite Shawn Stefani.
Stefani, who needs a victory this week to qualify for the Masters, saw birdie chances at the first two holes fall short but posted three gains from the next four to reach the turn in 33.
The world No 90 found the rough from the tee and missed a 15-foot par-save putt at the second in his only bogey of the day, but responded at the par-five eighth by firing his approach shot to within inches of the cup for a tap-in birdie.
“My ball striking has just been impeccable,” Stefani told Sky Sports 4. “I hit a lot of good shots on to the greens and on top of that I’ve been holing some putts.
“This is my fourth (tournament) in a row and I’m playing some good golf, but after this event depending on whether I’m in Augusta I’m planning on having about a month off because I know it’s a long year and I need some rest.”
A 36-yard chip-in eagle at the par-five 13th helped Keegan Bradley post a six-under 66 to stay within three of the lead, while Justin Rose sits a shot back on seven-under after finding the water at the 18th to finish with a bogey.
Overnight leader Scott Piercy dropped four shots from his first six holes, dunking his ball from the tee at the third for a double bogey and finding the water hazard again at the next, before two-putting the sixth from 10-feet.
US Open champion Martin Kaymer has missed the cut for the second week running after posting a two-over 74, with former Masters runners-up Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen also failing to qualify for the weekend.
Watch day three of the Shell Houston Open live on Saturday from 6pm on Sky Sports 4 – your home of golf.
