While Tiger Woods looks to be in top form at Bay Hill, his win is anything but assured. For one, he still has more golf to play before this thing is over. And two, even if he does play well, there are plenty of capable players right behind him who must be respected.
If Tiger isn't going to break his PGA Tour drought on Sunday, keep an eye on these names, because one of them will be the man keeping him from the winner's circle.
Bubba Watson
In some ways Watson is the closest thing to Tiger at his best since Tiger was there. Not in terms of results, but he does things with shots that nobody else even thinks of. Bubba is easily the most creative shot-maker on tour, which gives him chances to make birdies in spots where even a par looks uncertain.
On top of that, Bubba is an absolute masher. Even when playing against other long hitters of the ball, Watson is noticeably longer, giving himself short irons in to par fives, and wedges on even the longest par fours.
When you have that combination in your bag, you're more than capable of going incredibly low, which is what he'll have to do. It's unlikely that anything above a 65 will get the job done. So, Bubba will be out there at Bay Hill, going for broke on every hole. When that happens, an incredibly low score is entirely possible, if not even likely.
Graeme McDowell
For one, he's currently closer to Tiger than anyone, so this is kind of an obvious selection. But even if there was another name or two there, McDowell would be a great choice. For one, he's already got a history of standing up to Tiger and beating him on Sunday, which is immense.
Two, he's just got a perfect attitude for this scenario. McDowell consistently finds greens and putts very well. That is what won him a U.S. Open; it's what clinched the Ryder Cup for the Europeans in 2010.
That is the kind of game that you need to have to come from behind. That consistently puts pressure on your opponent and doesn't allow any missteps. It is hard to imagine McDowell not being a factor coming down the stretch.
Ian Poulter
There's no doubt that Poulter has the game, but that's only a small part of what he has that makes him a threat. Poulter has an attitude where he strives to be great, and isn't happy with just putting up good finishes.
He's just not going to be content out there, and that is such a big thing, especially when you're down a few shots. Basically, Poulter will try to win and not be afraid to fail, which is a must. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll win, but the attitude easily makes him one of the most viable options.
Leaderboard Through Round 3 (Full Leaderboard available here at PGATour.com)
| Place | Player | Score | Thru |
| 1st | Tiger Woods | -11 | F |
| 2nd | Graeme McDowell | -9 | F |
| T-3rd | Ernie Els | -8 | F |
| T-3rd | Ian Poulter | -8 | F |
| T-5th | Johnson Wagner | -7 | F |
| T-5th | Charles Howell III | -7 | F |
| T-7th | Bud Cauley | -6 | F |
| T-7th | Charlie Wi | -6 | F |
| Notables | |||
| T-9th | Bubba Watson | -5 | F |
| T-14 | Webb Simpson | -4 | F |
| T-14 | Justin Rose | -4 | F |
| T-25 | Vijay Singh | -2 | F |
| T-32 | Phil Mickelson | -1 | F |
Kevin Garnett Ray allen kendrick Perkins Rajon Rondo Glen Davis Nate Robinson
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