SAN DIEGO _ Here comes the assault on the greens, a flurry of club-wielding snipers growing more confident by the stroke. Here comes the sun-soaked window to alter scorecards and muddy leaderboards.
When players step onto the South Course at Torrey Pines for Sunday's final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, it could be a revenge-fueled rendition of Taming of the Shrewd.
The cagey course that so often wobbles knees with ocean crosswinds and greens that test a putt's shock absorbers showed a sliver of vulnerability Saturday.
Twelve players sit within two strokes of the top with a round to go. The skies, now cloudless and deep San Diego blue, cranked down the gusts. The greens and rough continue to firm up by the minute.
Buckle up. The final 18 holes could be a wild ride.
Charles Howell III, who shot 69 to tie for 13th, said a day positioned to deliver the best weather of the week could spark fireworks.
"You may see it give up a low number," he said.
Careful with assumptions: The South, so stubborn that it earned the 2008 U.S. Open, never loses all its teeth and isn't anywhere close to gumming its food. The course showed, however, that forgiving weather can make it mortal.
Conditions bolstered the anyone-could-win equity among a field that lost world No. 1 Jason Day, No. 3 Dustin Johnson and No. 14 Rickie Fowler before the weekend arrived.
The South's bullying ways melted in the sunshine, revealing a kinder, gentler side. On Thursday, nine players carded rounds of 3-under or better on the South. On Friday, just five. On Saturday, the club ballooned to 19.
"There's no better place to play golf than Torrey Pines in weather like this," said Phil Mickelson, who rode the meteorological about-face to record a 68, scrambled 30 spots and climbed into a tie at 18th. "Looking out at the ocean, the views, it's just spectacular. The course is drying out very nicely and played great."
The evaporating stretch of wet, cold and windy that marked the start of the Farmers allowed an army of contenders to chase red numbers.
Tony Finau birdied four of his final six holes to finish with a 67. The 27-year-old tied tournament co-leader Patrick Rodgers and Pat Perez for low rounds of the day and grabbed a share of third.
"It was warmer, so the ball was traveling a little better _ and not as much wind," he said. "It's definitely a day where you feel like you can get after it."
The scoring average dipped from 74-and-change on Friday to 71.62 a day later. The tournament field has not broken 72 on a Sunday at the Farmers since the course renovation leading into 2002.
The combination of calm and a building, shared confidence could threaten that number Sunday. Tournament meteorologist Willis Young said another full day of drying could make the final round "ideal."
"When there's no wind, it definitely makes this place a lot easier," said Marc Leishman, who hovers among a knot of players tied for fifth. "Earlier in the week, it was hard to control spin. That's getting easier.
"And it's Sunday. Guys will attack, for sure."
Mention attack and the blood pumps. Add a congested leaderboard with so many players lingering within putter's reach of a $1.2 million bankroll, and the potential for hole-by-hole drama soars.
Imagine the scenarios alone on No. 18, the spot that surrendered one eagle through the first two rounds _ but six while parked in front of Saturday's postcard-worthy backdrop.
Toss in a wild card or two like Justin Rose, the second-round leader who trudged to a 73 and now tangled in an eight-way tie for fifth, and the plotlines thicken substantially.
The finish could be something only a cardiologist dares to consider.
"Something good (Sunday) is going to go a long way," Rose said. "If you shoot a low score, especially with some Sunday pressure, it will be a good situation. I get to free-wheel more than they do, so it could be a good thing."
When Round 3 arrived, paragliders gracefully drifted along the coast. Fans peeled away jackets. Players settled into rhythms. The Farmers changed personality in mid-stride, opening the door to even more pitch-and-putt possibility.
Rodgers, the co-leader with two-time champ Brandt Snedeker, said Torrey Pines rarely looks as handsome as it did Saturday.
"This is what all the players come to San Diego for, is weather days like (this)," he said. "The golf course was perfect."
Aggressive doesn't translate to reckless, though.
Patience will pay dividends until doorways present themselves. The thing, though: There's bound to be plenty of doors cracked open during the frenetic final lap.
"I'd still never say the South Course is easy," Howell III said. "But if you're comparing it one day to the next, it's definitely more score-able."
That means one winner already is decided. Us.
