Els Chases Second 2010 Title at Bay Hill

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Thirteen PGA Tour events this year have produced 13 different tournament champions.

The winners have ranged from world No. 2 Steve Stricker to uncelebrated rookie Derek Lamely. The absence of Tiger Woods was expected to open the door for Phil Mickelson and a few select others to fill golf's void, but instead it seems to have sent a stampede rushing the gate.

"Yeah, I think it could be one hell of a year," said Ernie Els, fresh off a World Golf Championship victory at Doral two weeks ago, his first title in two seasons. "There's a really good group of players playing well, and I think that bodes very well for the first major and for the rest of the year."

It's looking pretty good for Sunday's final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, too.

A new/old mix of 11 challengers will begin last-round competition at Bay Hill Club and Lodge within five shots of the pace-setting 10-under posted by Els on the strength of a three-under 69 on Saturday.

One shot back is former British Open winner Ben Curtis (70), while Chris Couch (69) trails by three. Within four strokes are Italy's Edoardo Molinari and young American Kevin Na. A group of six players who are five shots back include major championship winners Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen and Davis Love III, along with Boo Weekley and Lamely.

Nobody, however, may be playing better golf right now than Els, who will be attempting to not only become the year's first multiple winner, but also the first player since Tiger Woods in 2001 to win twice on the Florida swing. Besides Woods, only three players in history have won twice in Florida during the same season: Ray Floyd (1981), Tom Kite (1989) and Steve Elkington (1997).

"There's a lot of work left," said Els, making his first start since winning at Doral. "Obviously I'm still in a very good position. I would have taken it before the tournament started.

"I would like to keep working and just try and concentrate on playing good golf. I think it's going to be a pretty tough day, and I think the wind is going to blow again."

Weather turned into a final-round factor even before the first shot. Fearful of a storm predicted to move into the Central Florida area, PGA Tour officials pushed up Sunday's tee times to schedule a 3:30 p.m. finish.

During his career, Els has won 11 of 16 PGA Tour events when holding at least a share of the third-round lead. He has won back-to-back starts twice -- the 2003 SBS Championship and Sony Open in Hawaii and 1997 U.S. Open and Buick Classic.

But little about this season so far has been predictable.

"I think everything goes through an ebb and flow," Furyk, last week's winner at Tampa, said. "We had some young guys that won early and that was the big story -- that the young guys were going to take over.

"And now you have Ernie and I winning the last couple of weeks, and all of a sudden the old guys are doing good. I think it's a little of both. There's good players around the world at all ages, and they are just going to go back and forth."

Some with more bounce than others.

Like Mickelson.

The one player most expected to take most advantage of a Tiger-less tour seems no closer to claiming his first 2010 victory. Beginning the day just one shot out of the 36-hole lead, Mickelson shot 75 and now is seven shots back.

He started Saturday bogey-bogey and was 4 over for the day until making his only two birdies of the day at Nos. 16 and 17. But the late charge was sidetracked with a bogey at 18 that leaves him in a tie for 16th.

After only 23 putts during Friday's round, Mickelson needed 33 Saturday.

"I had a rough round today in that the ball just didn't seem to want to go into the hole," he said. "Quite a difference from when they were all dropping, but it doesn't feel too differently."