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By Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The opening was big enough for a golf ball.

And the shot? Tough enough that his caddie would have tried to talk him out of it. If he had known.

If Phil Mickelson is to win his first PLAYERS on Sunday, he'll have to come from one shot behind. (WireImage)

Phil Mickelson played it 30 feet to the right of the pin at No. 10 Saturday afternoon. He didn't try to cut it over there. He played smart.

Routine par. For him.

Wild ride for just about anyone else.

Mickelson is the 17th in smackdown sideways wind. He's thrills and spills and heart-in-your-throat shots. He's a little reckless, always aggressive. Pulls out that wedge that takes down courses and works magic. Never knows where that driver's going to go.

So buckle your seat belt. You're in for one wild ride.

Mickelson wants this one. Fifth major. First major high-tech tournament or first electronic major. Best field on the planet. Call it what you want.

He could care less. The bottom line is winning THE PLAYERS Championship is big.

Start erasing Winged Foot big.

That he has to go through one of the most talented and likeable young players in the field, a man whose strength comes from those around him, not an acrimonious relationship with his father that he's put behind him? Compelling.

Sean O'Hair is up by one with 18 holes to go at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course and he knows he's the underdog. He's been there, done that. Played with Mickelson in Phoenix when it was so loud he couldn't hear Will MacKenzie screaming at him 3 feet away. On a Friday.

A win for Sean O'Hair on Sunday would be the second of his PGA TOUR career. (WireImage)

"You know, the crowd is going to be rowdy, the crowd is going to be rooting for Phil, which they probably should be,'' O'Hair said.

And he really can't tell you why. Neither can we.

After all, O'Hair's the one who birdied the last three holes to take the lead. Mickelson only birdied two of three.

Welcome to the first PLAYERS Sunday in May.

The backdrop is spectacular. Palatial clubhouse digs with an old world feel. Hi-tech boards on the course with every tidbit of news and video fit to print. Paul Azinger has a 10-footer for par at the third; Tim Herron's in the rough at No. 9. Want nothing but the standings on your leaderboard? That's so 2000.

The chain-rattling, ball-batting wind that usually buffets the field on the final 18 holes is gone. Moved through earlier in the week. But a thunderstorm just might roll in.

Tiger Woods is still here, but he's sitting back there in 59-land. Which, considering his first three rounds, is a dream for another day. Most of the rest of the world's top 10 -- save Mickelson and Luke Donald -- are reaching for a top-10 finish.

Just how this final round will play out is anyone's guess. Yes, Mickelson and O'Hair -- Ryder Cup teammates of the future -- will take center stage. Both want their first PLAYERS title, both are golfing their ball.

O'Hair is dialed in, leading the field in fairways hit. Playing to his spots, quietly taking control. Phil is, well, still Phil. Anything goes. Usually straight to the bottom of the hole.

But they're not alone. At last count, there were nine players within four shots of the lead; 23 players within seven. A reach you say for those seven back? Never say never. Especially around here.

THE PLAYERS, you see, is a tournament of attrition. You hang in there. Stay in touch with the top of the board and wait. There's a disaster coming somewhere to the neighborhood.

And everyone knows it.

Peter Lonard made the best out of what he called, "poor" play on Saturday. (WireImage)

Mickelson's best finish here was a tie for third in 2004. Ironically, that's where he's finished, too, in the last two tournaments he's played -- the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the Wachovia Championship.

O'Hair? He tied for 58th last year in his debut. So far it's one smashing sophomore run.

Aussie Peter Lonard holed out for a 2 on the par-5 second hole to work his way into big-event contention for the first time since the 2002 Open at Muirfield where he was one shot back after 12 on Sunday, but wound up tied for 14th.

"One really good golfer, one of the greats, said to me years ago that anyone can shoot a good score when they're playing good; it's shooting a decent score when you're playing bad,'' Lonard said of his 68 that left him tied with Jeff Quinney. "I think today I shot a decent score when I was playing pretty poorly."

Quinney threw out the day's low round -- a 64 -- while the force was with Luke, who fired a third-round 65 to settle in four shots back, tied with Aaron Baddeley and Chris DiMarco to name a few.

Yes, Mickelson is the 17th hole of the field. Thrills, spills and 24/7 excitement. O'Hair is the kid who turned pro at 17 and is finally blossoming.

More often than not, the winner here is the one that is the most accurate. The man who hits his spots, makes the putts and lets everyone else crumble. But that doesn't mean it won't be a wild ride.

That final pairing has a little separation from the field, but everyone's coming. Straight at them.

"I'm going to be patient, take advantage of the holes that allow birdies, even though guys will catch us before we have a chance to play those holes,'' Mickelson said. "And so depending on how receptive the greens are, if they're like they were today, we're going to have to shoot something in the high to mid 60s.''

A wild ride? A shootout? High-tech scoreboard drama?

We're ready. So is O'Hair, whose lone win was the 2005 John Deere Classic. So is Mickelson, who's waiting to begin that healing process from Winged Foot.

And Saturday with Phil? It was already approaching Phoenix proportions.

"I think it was just the last group, end of the day, hot day, beer sales were high,'' Mickelson said. "I just felt that it was the perfect storm.''

Maybe not. We think it was just the hint of what's to come.