LIVE UPDATES (All times ET)

6:07 p.m. — Hunter Mahan two-putted for par from 23 feet on the 18th hole to earn his second victory of the season at the Shell Houston Open. Mahan, who took the lead on the ninth hole Sunday and never looked back, greabbed the top spot in the FedExCup and becomes the first multiple winner of the 2012 season. The win was the fifth of Mahan’s TOUR career.

6:01 p.m. — Carl Pettersson left a 20-footer for birdie about two revolutions short at the 18th hole. He tapped in for par to shoot 71 and finish at 15 under, one stroke behind Hunter Mahan — whose approach to the final green just got a whole lot easier.

5:50 p.m. — Louis Oosthuizen tapped in from 22 inches for a birdie at the 17th hole to move into sole possession of third at 14 under, two strokes behind his playing partner Hunter Mahan. Mahan made par at No. 17 and takes a one-stroke lead to the final hole as he attempts to become the season’s first two-time winner.

5:42 p.m. — Keegan  Bradley bogeyed the 18th hole to drop back into a four-way tie at 12 under that includes his playing partner, Phil Mickelson. Bradley, who heads to his first Masters with a major under his belt already, and Mickelson both closed with 71s.

5:30 p.m. — There’s a three-way tie for third right now at 13 under. Only one of those players, though, Keegan Bradley, is under par in the final round.

5:13 p.m. — Ernie Els’ bid to play his way into the Masters has ended. Els two-putted for par at the 18th hole to shoot 70 and finish in a tie for 12th after posting top-5s in his two previous starts. The South African had played at Augusta National every year since 1994. Els’ playing partner, world No. 3 Lee Westwood, closed with a 73 to finish 7 under and tied for 22nd.

5:03 p.m. — Hunter Mahan was unable to get up and down from the greenside bunker at the par-3 14^th hole so with his first bogey of the day, his lead is now just one over Carl Pettersson. Mahan can take over No. 1 in the FedExCup with a victory or tie for second.

4:54 p.m. — Hunter Mahan played it safe, laying up a the par-5 13th, and he just missed a 10-footer for birdie that would have extended his lead to three strokes. His playing partner, Louis Oosthuizen, two-putted from 33 feet for his second straight birdie to get back to 13 under. Oosthuizen is the only player to reach the green on the two on the 590-yard par 5.

4:34 p.m. — The big-hitting J.B. Holmes missed an opportunity at Redstone’s final par 5 but he’s still tied for fourth at 12 under. Holmes is working on his highest finish in eight starts this season — not bad for a guy who had successful brain surgery in September to repair a Chiari malformation.

4:20 p.m. — PGA TOUR rookie  Bud Cauley bogeyed the 18th hole but still finished with a 68 and appears headed for his second-straight top-10 finish. The former Alabama standout, who shared fourth a week ago at Bay Hill is currently tied for ninth at 11 under.

4:09 p.m. — Hunter Mahan has made it two birdies in a row, this time from 6 feet, and now he leads by two. Mahan has played the back nine in 11 under this week — which leads the SHO field.

3:53 p.m. — There has been a change at the top of the leaderboard. After reeling off eight straight pars, Hunter Mahan made his first birdie of the day, rolling in a 5-footer fat the par-3 ninth to move into a brief tie with Carl Pettersson. The Swede, though, was in the process of making bogey at the 10th hole where he shortsided himself in a greenside bunker and missed an 18-footer for par.

3:39 p.m. – Louis Ooshuizen continues to move in the wrong direction. He hit his second shot at the par-5 eighth into the brush and had to take an unplayable, then hit his fourth into a greenside bunker. He blasted out to 10 feet and two-putted for his second double bogey of the day. Oosthuizen, who started the day with a two-stroke lead not trails Carl Pettersson by three.

3:19 p.m. — The SHO course is giving and then taking away. Even the players who shot out fast and were 4-under fort he day, cooled off down the stretch. So far, low round of the day is 1-under 70 by seven players including Angel Cabrera and Kyle Reifers.

2:47 p.m. – Louis Oosthuizen came up short at the fifth hole and — poof — he lost the lead with a double bogey. Oosthuizen’s bogey putt hung on the lip and the double leaves him at 15-under and in a tie with Hunter Mahan, one shot behind new leader Carl Pettersson.

2:18 p.m. – Jim Herman isn’t going to be heading to Augusta, but he’s working on a huge check for the week. Herman, a Nationwide player, played his way into the field as a Monday qualifier. He is currently 5-under for the day, 10-under for the tournament, with two holes to play.

1:50 p.m.  –Don’t look now, but Ernie Els is making a charge. The man who has to win today to get into the Masters and extend his current Masters streak to 19, birdied the third and sixth holes to move to 10-under for the tournament

1:10 p.m. – Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley have just teed off and both are looking to go low. They start the day six shots behind leader Louis Oosthuizen and conditions are perfect. Four players — Kyle Reifers, Rod Pampling, Shawn Stefani and Roberto Castro — are 3 under on the day, which is the current low mark.