Mickelson, Woods Poised for Final Round Duel

Pity poor Nick Watney. He's a member of the final threesome for Sunday's final round of the HSBC Champions, on the verge of his first World Golf Championships victory, just two strokes off the lead, and this may well be the most mention he gets prior to his tee time.

That's because his playing partners in the lead group on Sunday are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Mickelson carded a third-round 67 to take the lead, two strokes ahead of Woods (70) and Watney (70). Ryan Moore is another stroke back, and Lee Westwood is four off Mickelson's pace (see leaderboard).

"I suppose I'm kind of the odd man out there," Watney said in his press conference following the third round. "But the goal in golf is always to improve and tomorrow will be a big step for me. Regardless of the outcome I'll get the chance to watch these guys and see how they handle themselves."

Woods-Mickelson final-round pairings are rare, but often memorable. At the 2009 Masters, they were paired and Mickelson was on fire early, electrifying the crowds (and the announcers), but they were both too far behind at the start of the day. Their battle at the 2005 Doral Open produced one of the most riveting final rounds of the last decade, especially in non-majors (Woods won by a stroke).

Whether Sunday's final round lives up to expectations - or Watney or Moore or someone else plays spoiler - is yet to be seen, of course. And if you want to see it in the United States, you'll need to stay up until 11 p.m. ET Saturday and continue watching the Golf Channel's coverage through 3 a.m. ET Sunday. The European Tour's tournament page provides television broadcast times for much of the rest of the world.