This might just be Mickelson's year

At the end of the weather-delayed opening round of the 113th U.S. Open at Merion East, only two players were under par. And both of them were just barely in red numbers.

By the end of the third round at 8 o'clock yesterday, there was only guy who could say that. Again, not by much. And it's one of same names that was tied for the top through 36 holes.

A familiar name in this major, for the wrong reason.

Phil Mickelson, who's won three Masters and a PGA Championship, has been runnerup in the national championship a record five times. In 1999, when his wife was expecting their first child, he lost when Payne Stewart made an 18-foot par putt on the last hole at Pinehurst No. 2. In 2004 he lost by three to Tiger Woods at Bethpage Black. Two years later he lost by two to Retief Goosen at Shinnecock Hills. Two years after that, going for his third straight major, he held a 1-stroke lead after 71 holes at Winged Foot. Then he closed with a double bogey. And in 2009, again at Bethpage, he finished two behind Lucas Glover.

Maybe it's about his time. And besides Father's Day, a role he takes seriously, Sunday is his 43rd birthday.

He flew across country in his private plane to attend his daughter's eighth-grade graduation, and didn't touch back down here until some 31/2 hours before his first-round tee time on Thursday morning.

Now, he's put himself in position to take a trophy with him back to his Southern California home. Once more. The only other time he was in first place entering the final round of an Open was 2006. Then, he was tied with Kenneth Ferrie. This time he's one ahead of Hunter Mahan, 2011 Masters champ Charl Schwartzel and 46-year-old Steve Stricker. Lefty shot an even 70, closing with a bogey when a 10-footer came up one roll short. Stricker also shot 70, while Mahan and Schwartzel carded 69s.

Mickelson and Mahan will go out in the final group at 3:20. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the late-afternoon forecast.

Donald, who was ranked first on and off for a year starting in 2011, and Stricker are two of the best to have never one of these grand-slam events.

"It was a day that I thought you could get under (par)," said Mickelson, who bogeyed two of the first five holes but had three birdies on the back, including one of the few at 17. "The fact that I was 2-over early, I had to be really patient not to force the issue and fight for a lot of pars out there. And take advantage of a few birdie opportunities.

"I thought that I played better again than the score (indicated). But this is a really fun challenge. A hard challenge, but it is a lot of fun. Every shot requires such great focus because the penalty can come up and bite you so quick here. It's just a very penalizing golf course. But there are birdie holes out here …

"Let's go. I can't wait to get back out playing. I feel really good (about my) ball striking. I feel good on the greens, and I think that it's going to take an under-par round tomorrow."

They went out in threesomes, starting at 12:15, after 68 players had to come out early to complete their second rounds. It still took the final group 51/2 hours to get around. But with Mickelson being the biggest part of the storyline, it's a good bet probably nobody at NBC was complaining too much.

There are three at 211, two back: Justin Rose, who won the AT&T National at nearby Aronimink in 2010, Luke Donald and Billy Horschel, who shared the lead through 36. Rose finished with a bogey for 71, Donald closed with a double for the same score and Horschel had a 72.

Jason Day (68), who led the Masters in April with three holes to go after almost getting a green jacket in 2011, is alone at 212. Ricky Fowler (67, which was the low round) is at 213 by himself. He of course played so well for the American team in the 2009 Walker Cup here. Rounding out the top 10 is amateur Michael Kim (71), the national player of the year from California.

Tiger Woods? Well, the three-time winner, who's looking for his first major since the 2008 Open, opened with a birdie and went backwards from there. He didn't make another bird but did add seven bogeys, for a 76 that left him at 219. One of his playing partners, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, also opened with a bird. But the 2011 champ also added seven bogeys. The only difference was he made one more bird. His 75 gives him a 218. So Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano won that threesome with a 72 for 215.

"It is certainly frustrating because I certainly was feeling like I was playing well," said Woods, who has won four of his eight starts this season, even though he finished 67th in his last one, the Memorial Tournament, where he was defending champ and a five-time winner. "I just haven't made the putts I needed to make.

"I was playing well enough to do it and unfortunately just haven't gotten it done."

So this will likely be the 16th straight major he's played in without getting his 15th win. His next chance comes next month at the British Open at Muirfield.

Mickelson's never won that, either. Hey, you can only take care of one void at a time.

TAP-INS: Sergio Garcia is at plus-11 after shooting a 75 that included a 10 on the par-4 15th, where he hit three shots out of bounds to the left. He made an 8 on that hole in the first round, when he hit two onto Golf House Road. "Well, what does that say about my game that I can make a 10?" he said. "Forget about the rest. I don't know. Obviously you try. Funny enough, on Thursday I hit a lot of bad shots there. Funny enough, I only hit one bad one today. My second (tee ball, with a 5-wood) went out of bounds by five inches … I think that a 10 is just a 10. Nothing more than that." As for the fans, some of whom have been making references to the "fried chicken" comment he made about Tiger Woods that he's been apologizing for ever since, he said: "For the most part they've been very good. Obviously there's a little group that are trying to be funny and stand out. And they shout a little louder than the rest. But the only thing I have to say is they're not very, how you say it … creative. The things they yell, they're very common."

Defending champion Webb Simpson is at 221, following a 75 … Adam Scott, who just won the Masters, is at 223 after a 73.

DN Members Only: Merion has been a fair, brutal test.