LEMONT, Ill. -- It’s tempting to hand him the trophy right now.

After all, this is his course. Three wins and a runner-up finish here last year. Cog Hill fits his eye and his game. No one plays it better and no o2ne, quite frankly, has a hotter hand.

That he’s three shots back with 18 holes to go? And is anyone else getting better exponentially every day?

But Tiger Woods will be the first to remind you this is no done deal. No matter how good he feels, no matter how many times he gives you one of those I’ve-got-a-great-feeling-about-this grins and a couple of eyebrow pumps.

This last Cialis Western Open has saved the best final round for the 103rd edition. Bar none. Bet your favorite Chicago deep dish on it. And buckle up. It could be a wild ride.

Tiger’s lurking, but Vijay Singh has a fairway-seeking driver in his hand -- finally -- and the lead. By two over a fivesome of Memorial champ Carl Petterson, suddenly hot-handed Stewart Cink and Joe Ogilvie, star-in-waiting Trevor Immelman and Aussie Mathew Goggin.

Defending champion Jim Furyk is tied with Woods and looking to go back-to-back, and there’s a supporting cast lurking that includes Jason Gore (everyone’s favorite from the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst), Adam Scott and PLAYERS champ Stephen Ames.

And before you go thinking this will be a Tiger-Vijay shootout, did we mention that the leader board has been anything but static?

Players have been vaulting up -- see Tiger with middle rounds of 67-66 or Cink with his 64-69 -- and down all week. Phil Mickelson was right there with an opening 67, but followed with 74-75. Scott Gutschewski was leading early Saturday, but settled in three back with Woods and Furyk.

So, honestly, no lead here is safe.

Vijay broke out of his slump with a win the week before the U.S. Open -- at the Barclays Classic. And followed it with a tie for sixth at Winged Foot. And, he’s played all three with different drivers, settling this week on a Cleveland 460 Comp.

“In the last six months, every week was a new driver for me,’’ he said. “I played a new driver in Westchester, played a new driver in the U.S. Open and played a new driver here, so that tells you that I've been searching.

“I think I'm very comfortable with what I'm using now. I had two weeks off actually after the U.S. Open and practiced with this one particular driver, so I feel comfortable with it. It's doing what it's supposed to be doing, so far anyway.’’

Singh’s cruising, backing up a pair of opening 67s with a 68 Saturday. Even when his driver went a bit flaky early in the day, he made an adjustment at the seventh hole and took off from there.

And, yes, he’s aware of everyone chasing him.

“I just have to stay ahead of everybody else, I guess,’’ he said laughing. “I've got to go out there and play my game. I don't think I have to worry about what the leader board is doing until probably the last few holes on the back nine. It's a golf course where if you drive the ball well and make some putts, you can score well.

“... I just have to be patient, take my chances, play solid, don't make too many mistakes out there and see what happens. There's no guarantees, but I just hope my driver just keeps doing what it's doing, and I think I'll be okay.’’

Tiger Woods is seeking his fourth Cialis Western Open title. (Cohen/WireImage)

Yet Tiger seems so ready to pounce. He’s put the disappointment of missing the cut at Winged Foot behind him and, well, who wouldn’t want to see him win a fourth one of these for his late father Earl.

He’s put in hours of work on the range here at Cog Hill, which he shut down Thursday and spent a few more hours on Friday afternoon. And those pieces that seemed so disparate two weeks ago seem ready to round into a major run for the top player in the world.

“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,’’ Tiger said of all the practice. “If you have daylight and you’ve got some stuff you can work on, it’s nice to be able to do that.

“.. I knew what I was doing wrong.. and in order to stop it, you’ve got to log in the reps.’’

And lest you think he’s looking ahead to Hoylake, his focus this week is a little more current.

“A ‘W’ ,’’ he grinned.

Tiger couldn’t have had a better Saturday afternoon if he’d tried. He birdied three of his first five holes, then, after a bogey at the 10th, he eagled the 11th with a 34-footer. And, while his driver misbehaved a bit, his irons fell back in line.

Tiger admitted he thought 12 or 13 under would lead, but he’s now staring at Vijay at 11. And another bonus – he had a fun pairing with outgoing Rich Beem, who said he didn’t think he’d ever had that much fun on a golf course.

Tiger agreed. “Whether we’re playing with each other or not, we’re always going to give each other the needle every time we see each other. This time we got to do it for four hours.’’

Sunday? He’s paired with Furyk, the man he chased here last year and came up short. The man who’s thrown out rounds of 69-67-69 this week and keeps reminding us he’s here.

“It’ll be a battle tomorrow,’’ Furyk said.

And he wasn’t just talking with Tiger.

So before you go thinking this one’s in the books, before you think it’s Tiger’s or it’s Vijay vs. Tiger and Furyk, just remember Western Open finishes always seem to be filled with fireworks and furious finishes. Someone like Scott or Gore or Cink, who came within 6 inches of tying the course record Friday, could go low. A leader could stumble. The pack could be tied in one huge knot going into the back nine.

Count on Tiger to be there. Ditto for Furyk and Vijay. But most of all look for the Cialis Western Open to go out with a bang and one hell of a battle.