For Padraig Harrington (Stats | Bio) , it's nice to be in the first duo of golfers off the tee Saturday morning. At least it was at this year's Masters Tournament.

Despite barely making the cut Friday, Harrington drafted on Vijay Singh (Stats | Bio) 's early momentum and closed the third round with 4-under-par 68, leaving him at even-par for the tournament.

The stigma of being the first to strike the ball Saturday didn't bother the Irishman. For him, it was a matter of perspective.

"The first two days were tough," Harrington said. "But being out first in the third round is good. It's a relatively easy position to go out in. You just have to worry about going forward. The greens are perfect. The wind wasn't blowing. You have to have a slight change of attitude because of the circumstances.

"I played a little bit better than I did the first two days, but it wasn't a huge difference. It was just a slight difference in attitude."

His playing partner also helped. Beginning the round birdie-eagle, Singh finished with 3-under-par 69 to get himself to 1-over 217 overall.

The round was good for Singh. But not good enough.

"I played well, and I made some putts," said Singh, who also birdied Nos. 8, 9 and 15. "I had a chance today. Today was my day. I played really good golf, except for the last two holes."

Especially on No. 18, when he dropped his approach in the right-side bunker and two-putted to post a bogey heading into the Clubhouse.

It was the exact opposite of how Harrington completed the round.

Harrington's tee shot on No. 18 went left, putting him underneath the trees 182 yards from the pin. But he used his 5-iron to get the ball within 10 feet of the cup, and he finished the round with a birdie.

"I was pleased to get one more birdie at the end," Harrington said. "I think 68 is a fair reflection of how I played. I birdied the last hole, and I would have been disappointed if I scored a 69."

He didn't have much to be disappointed about.

Despite hitting his second shot behind a tree on No. 1, Harrington chipped out to within 20 feet of the hole, banging his club into the tree on the follow-through. He dropped the putt in for par.

On No. 2, he faced another 20-footer, this time for birdie. He dropped it in again.

It was exactly the start he needed.

"There was a good momentum going early," Harrington said. "Vijay started well, and he showed me it was possible to score well. It was a nice start."

He bogeyed No. 11, but it was the only hiccup of the round for Harrington, who also recorded five birdies.

This morning, he won't be the first player off the tee, and he won't get the greens at their softest and the wind at its calmest.

But he'll take the same attitude into his round.

"There won't be much pressure on me," Harrington said.

"I'm in a nice position. I don't think I'll have to stress too much."

Reach Josh Katzowitz at (706) 823-3216 or josh.katzowitz@augustachronicle.com.