Chad Campbell received a sneak preview Saturday of what's ahead in today's marathon Masters Tournament windup.

Chad Campbell raises his putter as he walks toward his ball on the second green. Campbell didn't tee off until 6:48 p.m. Saturday and completed only four holes, making two birdies and two bogeys. He remained in the lead at the end of the day. (Michael Holahan/Staff)

The west Texan's 46-minute appearance in the rain-suspended third round at Augusta National Golf Club started strong and finished with a thud.

He is still the tournament leader, and he will have plenty of time to reverse course today. The 31-year-old will play 32 holes in a bid for his first major championship.

Ten players are within four shots of Campbell, including the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking.

"Obviously, those guys do have a lot more major experience, with the wins, but I'd like to start somewhere," Campbell said.

Campbell, the leader by three shots after Friday's second round, had his lead cut to one after playing four holes in even par. But he had a pair of closing bogeys. He's 6 under par through 40 holes.

"It's where I want to be," Campbell said of being in the lead.

Caddie Judd Burkett hands Chad Campbell his putter on the third green, one of the few holes the Texan was able to complete in the third round. He and playing partner Rocco Mediate will play 32 holes today. (Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff)

Rocco Mediate, who is Campbell's playing partner for the third round, doesn't think the Texan will bow to the pressure today.

"He was very calm," Mediate said. "He's definitely going to be around; he's not going anywhere, that guy. He's really, really, really good."

Campbell and the other 35 players who didn't complete the third round will do so this morning, starting at 7:45. The first group in the final round will go off at 11 a.m., and the final group at 3 p.m.

Historically, it is vital to be in the final pairing of the final round. The winner has emerged from there for the past 15 years.

Gates open at 7:30 a.m.

Mediate and South African Tim Clark share second place. Mediate had birdies on Nos. 2 and 4, while Clark played his five holes in 3-under fashion, the best of any player in the top five after the second round.

Defending champion Tiger Woods got in nine holes. He shot 2-under 34 and moved from five shots back at the start of the day to three back.

Padraig Harrington (2 under in six holes) and Phil Mickelson (1 under in five holes) are also three back.

After a four-hour, 18-minute weather delay, Campbell didn't tee off until 6:54 p.m. in the final group. He made birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 and bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4.

In contrast, Mediate was 2 under thanks to birdies on Nos. 2 and 4. On No. 4, a par-3 that was playing 231 yards, Mediate rolled in a 5-footer for birdie.

"I made it, which was cool because it wasn't that easy of a putt," Mediate said. "It was getting dark, but I didn't want to sit on it all night."

Clark, playing three groups ahead of Campbell and Mediate, got in five holes. He birdied Nos. 1, 2 and 5.

"I couldn't be more pleased with that start," said Clark, who is facing what he called a "makeable" birdie putt on No. 6 this morning.

By the time Campbell got on the course, Clark had birdied the first two holes, and Mickelson was on his way to making birdie on the first three before following them with two bogeys.

Campbell wasn't that concerned about making bogeys on No. 3 and 4.

"Honestly, even with the two bogeys, I hit two good putts," Campbell said. "The only bad shot I hit was the second shot on No. 3. That was a pretty bad mistake."

Today, Campbell and Mediate face a 32-hole day - 14 holes to complete the third round and the 18-hole final round.

"It's going to be a long day; it's going to be a tough day," Mediate said. "I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be challenging for right now. I have to do something real special to win this golf tournament."

The test will be more mental than physical, said Campbell.

"It's going to be tough walking around that many times, but when you're in contention, you don't really think about it," he said. "It's not like we have to run. That might be a different story."

Woods also isn't concerned about the long day ahead.

"I know I'm conditioned for it," he said. "It's just a matter of playing well, executing and making birdies. Last year, I went 54 holes on the weekend, so this is nothing new."

Campbell did say he might be more aggressive now that the greens are softer and more receptive to iron shots.

"I might have to change my game plan a little bit," he said.

The last time there was a PGA Tour event with this many holes on the final day was The International in early August. Thirty-six holes were played that day, and Retief Goosen rallied to win.

Goosen is 2 under through nine holes of the third round here, four shots off Campbell's lead.

Clark also had a strong finish in the 2005 International and tied for sixth place. Campbell wasn't in the field.

Players were talking early in the week that the Masters could be a battle of attrition. But they were talking about the toughness of the course with added length, not a third- and final-round marathon. Now, it is both.

The grueling day ahead doesn't bode well for the older players near the top of the leaderboard, or those with creaky backs, including Fred Couples (four shots behind) or Mediate, who has had back problems since 1994.

"I think it will be fine," Mediate said. "It's a little tender right now. But that's the weather change. I knew that would happen. So, it should be better by tomorrow, I hope.

"I'll crawl around here if I have to," he said. "I'm not going to stop unless they pull me out of here."

The weather delay has put the tournament back in catchup mode, just as it has been for the previous four years.

The difference was in those years, the delays started in the first or second rounds.

This year, the rain didn't hit the course until just before 11 a.m. Saturday. Play continued until 1:02 p.m., when it was suspended with 27 players on the course. At the time, Jim Furyk, off in the first group of the day, had played 12 holes.

Play resumed at 5:20 p.m., and the first tee time was at 5:25.

Campbell and Mediate didn't tee off until 6:54, and play was suspended at 7:40.

The focus is squarely on Campbell, whose best finish in 16 major championship appearances is a second in the 2003 PGA Championship. This is his fourth Masters; he missed the cut the first two years and tied for 17th last year.

Campbell is seeking to join a long line of Texas winners at Augusta National. Twelve Masters titles have been won by Texans, the last by Ben Crenshaw 11 years ago.

"We've obviously got a great legacy coming out of Texas," said Crenshaw, who is 5 over for his third round and 10 shots off Campbell's lead.

Campbell is the top Texan on the PGA Tour money list this year (sixth) and in the world ranking (20th).

"It's fascinating to watch him because there is a little Hoganesque in him," Crenshaw said. "He's got the flatter swing plane, and the way he comes through the ball is pretty impressive."

Today's winner will earn $1.26 million from a $7 million purse.

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.