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A match-play event has broken out at the 145th Open Championship. With nobody else in the field better than 6 under after three rounds, the race for the claret jug at Royal Troon has come down to two golfers: Henrik Stenson at 12 under and Phil Mickelson at 11 under.

Stenson surged ahead of Mickelson in their to-the-wire finish Saturday with a 68, while Mickelson posted a 70. Thrilling golf from both entranced the Scottish audience, which traipsed back out for another dreary Open day.

Mickelson held serve early with pars and birdies through the first 13 holes, including this absurd one from the gorse on No. 12. Stenson came on late with birdies at the par 3s (Nos. 14 and 17) while Mickelson made bogeys at both.

"I was off today," Mickelson explained. "I didn't have my best stuff. My rhythm was a little quick from the top as we started downwind. I was a little bit jumpy, and my rhythm wasn't very good today. I found a way to kind of settle in and hit some shots and then find ways to make pars on the times that I hit some poor shots. Today could have been a day that got away from me. Instead I shot under par and kept myself right in heading into [Sunday's] final round, so I'm proud of that."

Both players shot 35 going out, but Stenson nipped Mickelson with a 33 coming home. On a week in which the field average has swelled to over 37 on that side of the course, that's pretty impressive.

So now Stenson will try and hang on to his one-stroke lead going to Sunday. This is his first lead or co-lead at the final round of a major championship. In fact, it is the first time he has ever played in the final pairing on Sunday of a major. All I could think about as I watched the two go back and forth on Saturday is how delightful it would be to get Round 3 on Sunday. Now that's exactly what we'll get.

"It was certainly kind of a match-play scenario out there," Stenson said. "I was happy enough to throw two good punches in there on the par 3s and pick up two shots on either one of them to come back out on top at the end of the third round."

These two men are the perfect foils for this type of two-horse event, too. They both have Ryder Cup experience and they both draw deeply from the crowd. Both can also play the villain or be the superhero savior.

Stenson's villain-ry is easier to spot. He looks like the bad guy out of any James Bond movie between 1970 and 2005. Wielding a fire-breathing 3-wood and putter that won't stop smoking, Stenson -- often dressed in black -- rarely smiles even when everything is going his way. He even talks like a villain.

Plus, Stenson is out for revenge on Mickelson, who victimized Stenson by three strokes in capturing The Open title in 2013. How sweet would that be?

Mickelson the villain is far more subtle. To believe in him as the foil to a big Swedish superhero you have to believe there is a sinister side behind the veneer of his permanently-stuck thumbs up and uber-grins. You got a taste of that, I suppose, when he cussed out a cameraman on No. 18 on Sunday. The alleged insider trading does not help things, either. Mickelson might be too gregarious for his own good sometimes. He's a villain in the same way most rich, successful people are villains. You hate him because you want to be him.

But there's also this: He's vying for his sixth major championship and in the process trying to keep Stenson from his first.

"I enjoy his company," Stenson said of Mickelson. "I feel like he's my playing partner. We've played a lot of golf together this year, and I've known him for many years. He's always fun to watch. He hits some spectacular shots and, yeah, he's a great competitor. So it's inspiring. I know I'll have to bring my best. I would have had to bring my best no matter who I was out with tomorrow, but certainly when you're playing someone like Phil."

But both can play the other side as well. Sweden has never had a men's major championship winner, and you would be hard pressed to find a more well-liked golfer by his peers on the PGA Tour. His icy demeanor, when looked at another way, is just him playing golf "the right way." The Big Swede is fun and funny and a hell of shot off the tee.

Mickelson's heroism is in your face. The thumb-wielding shot-shaping par-saving maestro has been one of golf's greatest draws for the last two decades. When you watch his interactions with fans, it's easy to see why.

But no matter who you're rooting for Sunday, you have to appreciate that these two golfers are bringing a tough course to its knees. There is nobody realistically within striking distance of Mickelson and Stenson (Bill Haas has the best odds at 30-1), and that's because these two have torn up the back nine of Royal Troon all week -- punch for punch, sand save for sand save, gorse par for gorse par.

"I know what I would like to see [Sunday]," Stenson said after his round. "There's no question about it. I've got a second and two thirds at The Open, so it's not like I'm looking to pick up anymore of those finishes. There's only one thing that matters [Sunday]. I know he's not going to back down, and I'm certainly going to try to not back down either. So it should be an exciting afternoon."

Saturday was a great preview for the main event. Thankfully for us, we don't have to wait. The final round at Royal Troon should be one hell of a fight.