Mickelson will have scent of victory

STORY SO FAR

CHARLIE WI has never won a US Tour title, but the Korean has
given himself an excellent chance of getting off the mark in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am today.

Wi won the California State Amateur Championship at Pebble
Beach in 1990 and those positive vibes from his college days appear to have inspired him at the same venue this week. His best previous finish in the Pro-Am is 14th place in 2009, but he is 15 under par through 54 holes this year and takes a three-shot lead into the final round.

Wi started the week as a 150-1 outsider in a field full of star names. A three-under-par Saturday 69 at Spyglass Hills (one of the three courses used for this event) kept him clear at the top though and he is no bigger than 6-4 to triumph.

Pre-tournament favourite Tiger Woods is in third place, four shots behind, while Phil Mickelson is a further two shots adrift in a tie for fourth.

LEADERBOARD

-15 Charlie Wi

-12 Ken Duke

-11 Tiger Woods

-9 Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na, Dustin Johnson, Brendon Todd,
Hunter Mahan

BEST PRICES

6-4 C Wi, 2 T Woods, 12 K Duke, 14D Johnson, 16 P Mickelson, 20 H Mahan, 28 K Na, 40 bar.

FINAL-ROUND ADVICE

THIS will be the second time that Charlie Wi has taken a lead into the final round of a US Tour event - he held a one-shot advantage
with 18 holes to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational last year. In that event, David Toms triumphed in a ding-dong back-nine duel, leaving Wi to settle for the fourth Stateside runner-up spot of his career.

Even though he has a nice buffer at the head of affairs, Wi may end up disappointed again after the final 18 holes of combat at Pebble Beach. He is massively unfortunate that the best performance of his life hascome in a tournament where two greats of the sport have also come to the boil.

The twoball of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, on the tee at
5.29pm UK and Ireland time, should pile immense pressure on the leader. They have won 110 tournaments between them and will relish the chance to chase down a nervous maiden.

Woods, who was encouraged by contending on his Abu Dhabi Championship debut a fortnight ago, is slowly but surely returning to something close to his best form. He finished third there, following up on his Chevron World Challenge triumph before Christmas, and is more comfortable than ever with his new swing.

Pebble Beach, the scene of his 15-shot US Open win in 2000,
could be set to provide further glory.

Mickelson is also getting his act together after an inconsistent start to his 2012 campaign. Lefty is putting with confidence again, having ditched the belly-putter and switched back to the blade he used at the start of his career,and has gradually found a groove with his swing this week.

He is a three-time Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion and will have the scent of win No. 4 in his nostrils from six behind.

Both Woods and Mickelson can be expected to go low in round
four, with each spurring on the other. Mickelson admits himself he often struggles for focus on the course, but all eyes will be on his marquee group today and he will have his game-face on throughout.

Tiger is 2-1 for victory, while Mickelson is 16-1, and with only a two-shot gap between the pair that makes Phil The Thrill better value. Ken Duke, although productive in lower grades, has never made any impact on the US Tour, while Dustin Johnson has gone off the boil since opening with a 63 at Pebble on Thursday.

Padraig Harrington will be thrilled with the way he has swung the club this week – he has hit the ball beautifully alongside his amateur partner JP McManus – and the Irish ace can be fancied to outscore Ricky Barnes in round four. If Pod starts putting as he normally does – he has spurned several chances over the first three days – he can close with a round in the low 60s.

Outright recommendation

P Mickelson, 1pt each-way 16-1 Boylesports

Twoball recommendation

P Harrington, 3pts 5-6 BetVictor