DULUTH, Ga. - Zach Johnson's first full day as the leader on the PGA Tour felt very familiar to him. He played solidly, made putts when he needed to and held on to the top spot.
"I really didn't get nervous," Johnson said. "It doesn't feel that different. It's just golf."
The rookie shot 4-under 68 Saturday to take a three-stroke lead over Padraig Harrington and Scott Hend after the third round of the BellSouth Classic.
Harrington shot 67, rallying after triple bogey by making six birdies on his closing 10 holes in the last event before the Masters. Coming off a second-place finish in the Players Championship last week - his second straight runnerup finish in that tournament - the Irish star is looking for his first victory on the PGA Tour.
"It would be important to win on the U.S. tour," Harrington said. "I'm not putting pressure on myself to do it (here) or anything like that. We'll wait and see how it goes."
After leading the developmental Nationwide Tour in earnings in 2003, Johnson is off to a solid start this season. He has made four of six cuts and $335,031, 58th on the money list, and he's coming off a tie for sixth at Bay Hill in his previous start.
Life on the PGA Tour hasn't fazed him.
"The crowds can probably get to you a little bit, with their chanting and whatnot," Johnson said. "But I kind of enjoy that."
He got a bit off track in the middle of the third round.
On the par-5 10th he pulled his drive into the rough, and he put his next shot through the fairway into a bunker. An indifferent pitch left him in a greenside bunker, but he splashed out and made his par putt.
"I did a good job of scrambling, especially early on the back nine," Johnson said.
He found more sand on the next three holes, including after his drive on 13, a short par 4. Another up-and-down gave him his second birdie of the day and steadied him.
Down the stretch he made birdie on Nos. 16 and 17 and made par on the par-5 18th to finish at 13-under 203.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Ignacio Garrido (69), David Lynn (66) and second-round leader Miguel Angel Jimenez (70) tied for the lead, two strokes ahead of five others at the Algarve Open in Portimao, Portugal. The trio was tied at 11-under 205. The five at 9 under were Peter Lawrie (70), Raymond Russell (65), David Park (66), Andrew Raitt (67) and Gregory Havret (68).
