Oakmont, Pa. ? As memorable rounds go, the 1-under-par 69 that Tiger Woods shot on Saturday in the third round of the U.S. Open isn’t in the same ballpark as Johnny Miller’s 63 in ’73.

It doesn’t even rank up there with his own third-round 65 in the 1997 Masters, which he won by 12 shots; or his first-round 65 in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which he won by 15 shots.

But today, in the very likely event that Woods’ looming presence causes all other pretenders to melt away, the bet here is that history says it was Saturday’s tour-de-force loop around an impossibly difficult Oakmont course that earned him his third Open title and his 13th major championship.

Woods is far too savvy to puff up his chest or dismiss the competition. But he can read a leader board as well as the rest of us. Woods can see that, except for Jim Furyk, the 2003 Open winner, who is No. 3 in the world, the only guys standing between him and victory have a grand total of zero majors among them and are quite likely to shake in their Softspikes when they step on the first tee today – such guys as Aaron Baddeley, the leader by 2 shots; Paul Casey; Stephen Ames; Justin Rose; Bubba Watson; and Steve Stricker.

“They’re going to deal with emotions that they’ve probably never dealt with before,” Woods said Saturday. “It helps to have experience. I’ve been there before, and I know what it takes.”

You could see that in Saturday’s round. How good was that 69?

Only one other player, Stricker, who shot 68, was under par. More telling, perhaps, was Johnny Miller’s commentary on NBC.

Any time Miller blows wet kisses from the booth, you know a round was good. On Saturday, Miller was smooching all over Woods – and this from a guy who has a vested interest in Woods’ not surpassing his legacy at Oakmont.

Completely out of character, Woods was hitting fairways all over Oakmont – nine of 14, to be precise. Actually, that statistic didn’t do his driving justice, because balls that trickled into the second cut of rough only inches off the short grass counted as a fairway missed. He also technically missed the fairway at the 313-yard 17th, where Woods went for the green with his driver and caught the rough just off the back.

The most pertinent and ominous statistic Woods must overcome Sunday is this: Of the 12 majors he has won, he has always owned at least a share of the lead going into the final round. He has never won a major coming from behind.

Today, we find out whether that stat still stands.