Phil Mickelson carries a two-stroke lead into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday and the American veteran admits it would mean a lot to secure the victory.

The popular left-hander hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since he landed the Open Championship at Muirfield in 2013.

A round of 66 on Saturday means his 16-under par total leads Hiroshi Iwata by two with Freddie Jacobsen and Sung Kang one shot further adrift in a share of fourth.

Chasing what would be his 43rd victory on the PGA Tour, Mickelson says he has plenty work still to do but he is desperate to finish the job and win the Pebble Beach event for the fifth time in his career.

“I’ve got a little bit of work to get my ball-striking back to that level that I need to be for [the final] round,” said Mickelson. “I really want [Sunday] to be a good day.”

Mickelson has started 2016 in strong fashion, getting himself near the top of the leaderboard at the Career Builder Challenge and the Phoenix Open already.

This, however, is the first time that he had held the 54-hole lead at any tournament since his Open Championship victory at Muirfield and the 45-year-old says he has been patiently waiting for this moment.

“It’s fun to just have a chance going into Sunday,” Mickelson said.
“It’s great that I’m leading but its fun to be back in the thick of it, to have a chance like I did at Phoenix or the Hope.

“So to head into [the final] round at Pebble Beach with an opportunity is what I’ve been waiting for.”

Mickelson is 23.00 to win a fourth Green Jacket at the US Masters in April where defending champion Jordan Spieth is 6.50.