Mickelson Leads Woods by Two

Doral could not have asked for a better duel.

Phil Mickelson continued to bully the Blue Monster with a six-under-par 66. Tiger Woods put on a dynamic charge Saturday in the Ford Championship, driving the green on the 347-yard 16th and shooting a nine-under 63 that left him only two shots behind.

If a monstrous crowd at Miami didn’t get enough entertainment, it was left with the anticipation of golf’s two most popular players going head-to-head in their first Sunday showdown in two years.

“We both know we’re going to have to make a bunch of birdies,” Woods said.

Said Mickelson: “I had a different feeling today. I wanted him to play well. I want to go head-to-head with him. I’ve been looking forward to the chance to play head-to-head against him. If I’m able to turn things around from the past and come out on top, it will make for a very special week.”

Woods overwhelmed the back nine with his power, no shot more memorable than the 16th when he swung from the heels and wound up 45 feet away for a two-putt birdie. Mickelson was magical again with his wedge, hitting a variety of shots from thick grass that gave him birdie chances.

Mickelson was at 20-under 196, the 10th consecutive round in stroke play he has been atop the leaderboard.

The gallery might not have realized it, but there were other players with an outside chance to win.

Zach Johnson, who pulled out of the pro-am with a bad back, shot a 64 and was six shots behind at 14-under 202, along with James Driscoll (67) and defending champion Craig Parry (67).

Vijay Singh couldn’t keep pace with a 68 and was seven shots behind, joined by two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal (70) and former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk (67).

But all that mattered to anyone on the Blue Monster were two of the biggest names in golf -- Phil and Tiger.

The last they played in the final group was at the 2003 Buick Invitational, after Mickelson had made his infamous “inferior equipment” comment. Woods went on to win by four, with Mickelson six shots behind.

But Lefty has a big advantage today. Not only does he have a two-shot cushion, he is playing the best golf of anyone on the PGA Tour. Mickelson won by five shots in Phoenix and went wire-to-wire at Pebble Beach to win by five.

English golfer Paul Casey, who made comments about “hating” Americans after the 2004 Ryder Cup, got his first serious heckling this year. Casey and playing partner Scott Hend had to wait for about 10 minutes on the 13th tee while security was summoned to eject a spectator.

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Cristie Kerr shot a four-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead over Moira Dunn and South Korea’s Sae-Hee Son into the final round of the MasterCard Classic at Mexico City.

Annika Sorenstam, playing her first event of the year, was three strokes behind after a 71, and Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa shot a 75 to fall eight back.