USPGA Tour: Phil Mickelson and Jose Maria Olazabal's decision to stay at the BellSouth Classic paid rich dividends yesterday when they made spectacular charges into contention.

Many of their peers chose to quit the Atlanta event to prepare for the Masters which starts on Thursday.

Even with a Monday finish, the event had been cut to 54 holes after the first two days were washed out and Saturday's play was interrupted by hail, sleet and briefly snow as well.

Mickelson, who starts his defence of the Masters title on Thursday, was only 61st after an opening 74 finally completed yesterday morning.

But when he set off again less than an hour later the left-hander added a blistering seven-under 65 and suddenly found himself only one behind early clubhouse leader Scott McCarron.

Olazabal was alongside Mickelson on five under par and while his 69 does not sound quite as thrilling, it had enough incident to fill a chapter in a book.

The double Masters champion, only two off the lead after a 70, then shot himself in the foot with a two-stroke penalty on the short eighth.

Olazabal, one of 20 players left in the tournament who are also playing at Augusta, was bunkered off the tee and after failing to get out, hit the sand with his club.

The blunder led to a triple-bogey six, but after turning in 40 the 39-year-old raced home in a seven-under 29.

Like Mickelson he chipped in for eagle on the 310-yard 13th and he birdied the 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th. A 30-footer for another eagle there was left a foot short of the hole.

Mickelson made a 32-footer on the same green, his pitch having only just carried the lake in front of the green.

That was his sixth birdie to go with the eagle and Mickelson, who won a play-off against Jack Nicklaus' son Gary in 2000 on the last occasion it was played over 54 holes, was understandably thrilled.

"I'm excited about having a chance to win now," he said.

"And if it's windy at Augusta this will have been great practice.

"With it only being 54 holes now I felt the urgency to shoot birdies. I was very fortunate to shoot 65, but it feels awfully nice.

"I also love the fact that by playing Monday I have only two days off between competitive rounds."

Luke Donald and Ian Woosnam were among those who had withdrawn so they could concentrate on their Masters build-up, while Joakim Haeggman followed them after a nightmare time once he had finally got on the Sugarloaf course on Saturday afternoon.

Haeggman, who makes his Augusta debut this week 12 years after becoming the first Swede to play in the Ryder Cup, played nine holes in a horror 47, 11 over par, with two triple bogeys and a double bogey.

Olazabal, suffering with a stiff neck, said of the eighth hole incident: "The ball pitched outside the bunker and then came back in. But by then I had hit the sand."

Asked if he had done it in frustration the Spanish star replied: "Let's just say the club fell from my hands.

"It was more a reflex than anything else.

"After turning in 40 I was just trying to be patient. I thought the 10th was reachable and the 11th was only a short iron, so let's see if I can take advantage. That's what happened."