By Paul Newberry
The Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Justin Rose wilted under a warm Georgia sun while Phil Mickelson put himself in position - again - to win his first major championship.

The 23-year-old Rose, who led after the first two rounds of the Masters, collapsed Saturday. After making only two bogeys through 36 holes, the Englishman bogeyed six of the first nine in the third round.

Suddenly, a two-stroke lead was a six-shot deficit to Mickelson and Chris DiMarco.

Lefty came to Augusta with an 0-for-42 record in the majors - despite numerous close calls in the four biggest tournaments. He has finished third at the Masters the last three years.

"The first two rounds, I played very well, though I could have scored better in both," Mickelson said before teeing off. "But I had two easy rounds, and that's what I'm hoping for today. I want to attack and take advantage of the holes that are susceptible to birdies. Hopefully, that will add up to a few under par."

Maybe this will be his year. Mickelson sank a 25-foot putt for birdie at No. 3, sending the Augusta National gallery into a frenzy. He also rolled in short birdie putts at 7 and 8, getting to the 12th hole at 6-under.

Equally important, Lefty saved par at several holes with a steady putting grip - his Achilles' heel in past majors. Right away, he sank a 10-footer at No. 1 after missing the green with his approach.

With Tiger Woods fading instead of charging, Lefty became the clear crowd favorite. And maybe his luck in the majors is finally shifting.

On Friday, he got a huge break on the par-5 13th when his ball stopped short of going into Rae's Creek. He turned a bogey into a birdie and shot 69.

DiMarco, who made a hole-in-one Thursday, bounced back from a disappointing second-round finish to tie Mickelson for the lead. With four holes left, he had a bogey-free round going, getting to 4-under for the day and 6-under overall with a short birdie putt at 14.

Ernie Els, a three-time major winner but never at Augusta, was right in the mix again at 3-under. Even his first bogey of the day was a blessing of sorts - the Big Easy got a favorable ruling after knocking his tee shot deep into the woods.

Allowed to move the ball from an unplayable lie - he got relief from a pile of limbs left over from a recent storm - the South African punched out into the fairway and wound up losing just a stroke.

Els, who hasn't finished lower than sixth in the last four Masters, was joined at 3-under by four more international players: two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer of Germany, Paul Casey of England, K.J. Choi of South Korea and Alex Cejka of Germany.

The third round was played under a brilliant blue sky, with temperatures in the low 80s that toughened up Augusta's slick greens.

Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson posted the best round of the early finishers, charging onto the leaderboard with a 5-under 67 that matched the low score of the week.

If the hole looked like a manhole cover to Jacobson, it probably resembled a thimble to Rose. The youngest pro in the field, he immediately felt the burden of a 36-hole lead.

His first tee shot plopped in the bunker, the approach was long and he couldn't get up-and-down. At No. 2, an errant pitch landed in the first row of fans, leading to another bogey. He made it three bogeys in a row at No. 3 - and the collapse was on.

Rose was still reeling at the turn. On No. 9, his 15-footer for birdie skidded about 25 feet past the cup. His comebacker crawled up to the edge of the lip and stopped, knocking him back to even par.

Woods seemed poise to make a charge after shooting 69 on Friday, breaking a streak of five straight over-par rounds in the majors.

But the momentum didn't carry over. Woods bogeyed the first hole, dropped another stroke at 6 and made the turn at 38 after missing a 21/2 putt at the ninth.

The back nine didn't get any better. At No. 13, his tee shot sailed into the woods, forcing him to punch out. He knocked his third shot into a bunker behind the green, followed by a poor sand shot that nearly rolled back off the front of the green. He three-putted for double-bogey 7.