Kohler, WI (My Sportsbook) - One day removed from a back-nine charge that saw him make his 129th consecutive cut on the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods had an opportunity to move up the leaderboard Saturday at the 86th PGA Championship.

After his front nine, Woods looked like he was going up the field on "moving day." He drained a five-footer for birdie at the second, then made it two in a row with a seven-footer at the third. He missed the fairway off the tee at the par-five fifth, but Woods' third spun back to the hole and stopped four feet from the cup. He made that and got to three-under for the championship.

Things fell apart from there for the two-time PGA Champion. He missed the green right at the par-three seventh, and could not get up-and-down for par from seven feet. Woods never recovered from a camera going off during his backswing. He backed off, but was not comfortable over his tee shot. Woods did not have time to go through his routine because he and playing partner Niclas Fasth were put on the clock after No. 6.

"I couldn't waste my time, put the club back and start the whole routine all over again," said Woods, who can be overtaken as the world's No. 1 this week if Ernie Els has a big finish. "I had to get up and hit a poor shot."

Woods birdied the ninth and 11th, but dropped another stroke at the par-three 12th to remain at minus-three.

Woods parred his remaining six holes for his second three-under 69 in as many days. He now stands at three-under-par 213 and is tied for 25th place, nine shots out of first.

"If I could get three or four more on the back nine, I would be right back where I needed to be," said Woods, who won this title in 1999 and 2000. "We need some help from the leaders."

Barring a miraculous turn of events, Woods will run his majorless streak to 10. In 2004, Woods barely contended in any of golf's big four, except for a tie for ninth at the British Open.

"It's getting frustrating that I was not able to put myself up there," admitted Woods, whose last major victory came at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage. "By putting as poorly as I did on Thursday, I just put myself too far back. I needed to be aggressive and make a bunch of birdies."

TWO MAJORS?

Phil Mickelson thought at the beginning of Saturday's third round, that if he finished the day at 10-under par, he would be in the hunt. He was wrong.

Mickelson, the reigning Masters champion, fired a five-under 67 and is eight- under-par 208, four shots behind Vijay Singh.

Mickelson opened with a 15-foot birdie putt at the first, then blasted out of a bunker to two feet to set up birdie on the second. The left-hander birdied four and sank a 35-foot birdie putt at the sixth.

He got to within one stroke of the lead at the ninth when he drained a 20-foot birdie putt.

Things got ugly at No. 11 when Mickelson three-putted from 45 feet for his only bogey. He birdied No. 16 for the third consecutive round, then made an amazing par save at Whistling Straits' closing hole.

Mickelson had 240 yards to the hole and tried to get there with a five-iron. He came up short in a greenside bunker and blasted past the hole. The spin brought the ball back to eight feet and he rolled in the par put to give himself a chance at major victory No. 2 of 2004.

"Making the turn at five-under, I really thought I had a great chance," said Mickelson, whose only major win came when he shared the 54-hole lead. "It's very tough to catch up on Sunday, but it's a lot better than being six back. At least I have a shot."

Mickelson finally broke through at Augusta this April and many felt that that would spur him on to more success in major golf.

They were right.

He had some putting miscues on the 71st hole of the U.S. Open and finished second behind Retief Goosen. Mickelson played brilliantly on Sunday at the British Open, but Todd Hamilton and Ernie Els were better on the back nine.

In theory, Mickelson could have been playing Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship with a shot at the single-season Grand Slam.

"Three shots away," said Mickelson. "What I do feel is that the preparation I've had in the majors this year, proves to me I'm working on the right things. If I continue this, I'm excited about the possibilities of where it could take me."

* The three club professionals that made the cut struggled on Saturday. Jeff Coston shot a 79 and is tied for 72nd at plus-eight and Roy Biancalana posted a 75 and is tied for 64th at four-over par. Chip Sullivan managed a one-over 73 and is knotted in 47th at even-par 216.

* Ernie Els missed a chance to play in the penultimate group with Phil Mickelson on Sunday. He hit a terrible tee shot at 18, then chunked his third well short of the flag. On the four-leaf-clover shaped green, Els elected to chip his fourth and stopped it three feet from the stick. He rolled it for a bogey.

* Briny Baird, who played with Els in Saturday's round, made his mistake a hole earlier. At the difficult, par-three 17th, Baird missed left of the green when the crowd disrupted his backswing. Vijay Singh and Justin Leonard made birdies at 16 and the gallery erupted before Baird made contact. It took him two shots to get on the green from the thick rough. He bogeyed the last to fall seven off the pace.

* Wind from the south is expected for Sunday's final round.

* Darren Clarke turned 36 on Saturday.

* The most difficult hole through three rounds has been the par-four 15th, which has played to an average of 4.2603. The easiest hole is the par-five 16th, which has played to an average of 4.6164.