That said: The Open is living up to my prediction of a great tournament. The course has played remarkably tough, the leaderboard is a mix of stars and unknowns, Americans and others, young and old. Thomas Bjorn leads and has proven his ability to win, though never in a major. Perhaps the best story will be Tiger vs. Davis Love III. Love is fan favorite with a major victory, but he has been accused of being soft the past few years, since he all but conceded defeat to Tiger Woods the night before the final round of the 2000 (I think) Bay Hill Classic, when he and Tiger were paired in the final group. Tiger whooped him and Davis was assumed to be done. This year he's played as well as anyone and may have the confidence needed to face the man down the stretch.

Who will take the jug? Anyone within five shots, +4, has a good chance. Tiger is the favorite, and deservedly so. He is on his game, which he wasn't in June when I predicted he wouldn't be a factor in the U.S. Open and he wasn't. Vijay Singh is a proven champion who will not shoot a bad round tomorrow. And Bjorn is leading, which is obviously the best place to be. But I'd keep my eye on Kenny Perry. He's got eleven tour victories, three this year and is pretty unflappable. He's played solid for three days, but hasn't gone low yet so nobody's talking about him. Sounds like a good dark horse pick. He's listed by the bookies as anything from a 10:1 to 80:1. Jump on it.