Nissan Open round three: Sure Lefty's human, but it'll take a superhuman to beat him

I might not know who’s going to win this Sunday, but I do know there’s enough great talent still in the frame to make layers drown in their saliva.

I say I don’t know, but I have a pretty unoriginal good idea. Even if Phil Mickelson’s aura of infallibility was finally punctured down the back nine Saturday with some wayward iron shots, his lead is still a shot better than 24 hours ago. It’s going to take a brave, do-or-die round Sunday and a flat game from Lefty to break that down. As one of the commentators following him round Saturday said: “He’s hitting the ball too well … to let this thing get too far away from him.”

In his wake, Padraig Harrington has been dining off his blissful opening round ever since, and Rich Beem is probably still treating the scorch marks from flinging himself on that blazing hot Nissan after his ace Saturday.

A 64 from someone is feasible, meaning anyone down to Aaron Baddeley is still in with a shout. But I’d say the winner, if it’s not Mickelson, is most likely to be found among the top 10. With a top table of this exceptional quality, a tribute to the course they are playing, that’s when you get the blindfold out and pick up a pin.

All I will say, somewhat less than cryptically, is that Ernie Els has been getting better all week.

The hope has to be, though, that we have a push from enough brave souls to get the punters excited and chasing all those juicy prices I’m minded to offer.

PS: Since it’s a Sunday, today’s lesson from the forums is this bon mot: Form is temporary, class is permanent. Go Lefty.