T.J.'s Take: You think this is a two-man battle? Not so fast

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Camilo Villegas is one of many with ground to make up -- but an outside chance to win -- on Sunday.

DORAL, Fla. -- Who's going to win the World Golf Championships-CA Championship on Sunday evening?

Hey, if we already knew, it wouldn't be any fun to watch.

Here's what we do know...

Tiger Woods is such a long shot at this point, you probably couldn't get odds. He'll start the final round nine shots off the lead at 7 under and while he looked good in Saturday's 4-under 68, I'm not totally convinced he has the 15-under 57 or so in him that it will likely take. You should never count Tiger out, but unless a bunch of guys ahead of him sleep through their afternoon tee times, it's probably OK in this one instance.

That's why the easy money is at the top of the board, with 54-hole co-leaders Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney.

Leaderboard

Through 54 holes

Pos. Player Score to par T1 Phil Mickelson -16 T1 Nick Watney -16 T3 Jeev M. Singh -12 T3 Camilo Villegas -12 T5 Charley Hoffman -11 T5 Soren Kjeldsen -11 T5 Jim Furyk -11 T5 Alvaro Quiros -11 T5 Kenny Perry -11

The pair of Californians could produce yet another famous final-round duel at Doral, as they'll start Sunday at 16 under and four shots clear of the nearest pursuers.

Both have won already in 2009 -- Watney in the Buick Invitational, Mickelson two weeks later at the Northern Trust Open.

Both have been outstanding through three rounds at Doral.

...But, here's a warning: Don't give an inch to the rest of the pack on Sunday, fellas.

Four, or five shots is a lot to make up in one round, but it could happen. Especially with the contenders in the rearview mirrors of Mickelson and Watney -- the objects are closer than they appear.

Jeev Milkha Singh and Camilo Villegas are four off the pace at 12 under.

Charley Hoffman, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Soren Kjeldsen and Alvaro Quiros make up the quintet trailing by five.

There's plenty of work ahead, but someone could emerge from the pack.

Likely? Not really. But then again, did anyone out there think they'd see Henrik Stenson strip down like a Chippendale to play a shot this week?

Villegas likes to make a statement, be it with his clothes, or his clubs. This is the same player who just last fall earned his first two PGA TOUR wins in back-to-back Playoffs starts. The second of those two -- THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola -- required a rally from a five-shot deficit.

Translation: One shot less than what the Colombian faces on Sunday... at a course where he tied for second in 2006, one shot behind Woods.

"It's a course where you can make a lot of birdies," said a confident Villegas after his 3-under 69 in the third round. "The greens are rolling very good and then you've got a very tough finishing hole where anything can happen.

"I'll do the same thing I did today where I didn't watch the leaderboard too much and was just focusing on my game and just stay in the present."

While all credit is due to Singh, Kjeldsen and Quiros, who have all had success on the European Tour, they haven't seen much Sunday action in a PGA TOUR pressure cooker.

Villegas, Hoffman, Furyk and Perry, meanwhile, all are proven TOUR winners. Furthermore, all but Furyk -- who always heats up once spring and summer hits -- currently reside in the top-30 of the FedExCup standings, with Perry leading the group at No. 2, thanks to a win and two other top 10s.

Hoffman is just hot like he's been all season. The rugged character with the flowing blonde locks lost to Perry in a playoff at the FBR Open, bounced back in his next start with a tie for seventh in the Buick Invitational and hasn't missed a cut since the John Deere Classic in mid-July of '08.

"I'm making the putts I need to," said Hoffman, who ranks 29th in putting this year compared to 134th in 2008, after a third-round, 5-under 67. "Last year I didn't make the 10-footers for par that you need to make to keep your round going, and sort of hold on coming down the stretch. Hopefully I can have a chance with a few holes to play, but I need some help from the leaders."

That leaves Furyk, who is arguably the most dangerous of the lot. He's got to be itching for a win. The man hasn't had one since the RBC Canadian Open in 2007 and, year-in and year-out, is one of the most consistent performers on TOUR.

Also, this is Doral. Furyk tied for second here a year ago, lost in a playoff in 2003 and won the thing in 2000 before it became a World Golf Championships event.

"I wanted to make up some ground and give myself a chance tomorrow, and I did a pretty good job [of that]," said Furyk, following a third-round, 3-under 69. "I've always liked it here. I've won here in the past and lost in a playoff. I had my opportunities last year. I always enjoy coming to Doral. I've probably played 14 times in this event out of 16 years on TOUR, so I enjoy coming."

Will he bring home a shiny souvenir from this trip?

T.J. Auclair is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.