Mickelson briefly grabs 1st outright Masters lead, Choi quickly joins Lefty at top of board

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Mickelson, Choi tied for lead at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson made the turn at the Masters with his first outright lead, but K.J. Choi quickly joined Lefty at the top in what’s shaping up as an exciting final round.

Lee Westwood, who began the day with a one-stroke lead, gave it up with a three-putt bogey at No. 9 and now trails Mickelson and Choi by a shot. Two others are within striking distance, including Tiger Woods.

Woods got off to a miserable start, making bogey on three of the first six holes, then turned things around by holing out a shot from the seventh fairway for eagle. He followed with two more birdies and headed to the back side three shots off the 12-under lead.

Choi pulled even with Mickelson by rolling in a 6-footer at the tough 10th hole. Fifty-year-old Fred Couples is two shots back and still has a shot at becoming the oldest major champion in golf history.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods holed out a shot from the seventh fairway for eagle, climbing back within five strokes of Masters leader Lee Westwood in a final round already producing plenty of thrills.

Woods’ improbable shot — which came after he bogeyed three of the first six holes — kept him on the fringe of contention. But Westwood is holding steady, making up for two bogeys with a pair of birdies and making a brilliant par save out of the bunker at the seventh.

Westwood was at 12 under, one stroke ahead of Phil Mickelson and two in front of K.J. Choi. It could be quite a back nine for the leaders, considering Nathan Green and Ryan Moore each made a hole-in-one at No. 16, and there have already have been two eagles at the 13th and three eagles at the 15th.