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By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

HARRISON, N.Y. -- Hunter Mahan needed an attitude adjustment in a big way.

Positive thinking has helped Hunter Mahan rise through the PGA TOUR ranks. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

MAHAN THRU 54 HOLES

Category Total Rank Eagles 0 N/A Birdies 19 1 Pars 29 T66 Bogeys 5 T58 Double Bogeys 1 T9 Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 78.6% T23 Driving Distance 277.7 yds. 20 Greens in Regulation 77.8% T4 Putts per Round 28.0 T14 Putts per GIR 1.643 8 Sand Saves 100.0% T1

• Hunter Mahan's Player Page

He'd just shot 73 in the morning at U.S. Open qualifying and Neale Smith, his good friend and caddy that day, was tired of seeing Mahan beat himself up after every shot. So he told him that in no uncertain terms before they teed off for the second 18 holes.

"It was like a waking-up conversation," Mahan recalled. "This is not how to play golf. This is totally ridiculous, and it was. It was no way to play golf, no way to be a professional golfer (and) no way to act on the golf course."

The chastened Mahan shot 63 that afternoon and the 25-year-old has been on a tear ever since -- winning for the first time at the Travelers Championship in June and only finishing out of the top 20 once in his last eight events.

Saturday at Westchester Country Club brought more positive vibes as Mahan matched the course record with a brilliant 62 to move into a tie for third through three rounds of The Barclays. The 62 was Mahan's second in his last 15 rounds, too, and his third of the season.

Mahan will enter the final round of the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup deadlocked with Rich Beem at 12 under, two strokes behind Steve Stricker. He's poised to make a big move in the FedExCup standings as well.

When Saturday's play was completed, Mahan had jumped seven spots to eighth in the projected points list. When things are finally sorted out at the end of the four Playoff events, someone will have won a $10 million bonus, the largest in sports -- and he's improving his chances with every round.

"It's a lot to think about for four weeks," Mahan said. "We are all just trying to see where we end up. I'm just trying to play golf this week ... and it will be interesting to see where I end up no matter what. It's just a lot to think about."

First, Mahan has a golf tournament to win, and he's hoping that focus will help him avoid what happened after he shot his last 62 in the first round of the Canadian Open presented by Franklin Templeton Investments. Mahan followed that course record with a 74.

"That was a little different because I had three rounds left," Mahan said. "Tomorrow, I have a whole different focus of trying to win. So I am going to try to put that 62 behind me and just take all of the confidence that I gain today and put it into tomorrow."

Mahan made nine birdies on Saturday and dropped no shots to par. He hit 79 percent of his fairways and 83 percent of his greens in regulation, and then needed just 13 putts on the front nine and 12 on the back.

Mahan chipped in for birdie at the par-3 16th, and his eight birdie putts ranged from 10 feet to 13 inches. He was able to be aggressive on the soft greens, and those pinpoint approaches paid big dividends on Saturday.

"I feel like I played pretty good the first two days, I just didn't get much out of my game," Mahan said. "I felt like I was swinging great, so I went out there and just tried to keep playing good and gave myself a ton of opportunities."

Mahan's been doing that with regularity of late. The fourth-year pro out of Oklahoma State put together a string of four straight top-10s that began with his win at the Travelers Championship in June. Jack Nicklaus took notice and made Mahan one of his two picks to complete his Presidents Cup team.

"I think some guys get on hot streaks and they just kind of go away," Mahan said when someone wondered aloud whether he was finally showing just how talented he is. "I don't think there's any reason for that. I think if you're a good player, you're a good player.

"Look at all of the top players, they keep playing good and they are not on hot streaks. They are just good. I feel like my game is capable of stuff like that, so I'm just trying to do that, just play like that."

Mahan, who was the country's No. 1-ranked amateur when he turned pro in 2003, needed some time to get his sea legs, though. All those bad vibes he was sending himself on the golf course didn't help, either.

"I thought I was ready," Mahan said. "I thought I had learned all I could from college and coach (Mike) Holder. I came out there and it's just a whole different game. These are adults out there, and you're 21 years old trying to make a living and it's a whole new thing."

Mahan had to learn to accept the players he once looked up to as peers. He needed to figure out how to pace himself while playing two or three times as many events as he did in college. He needed to learn how to compete.

"I remember playing with Glen Day at The Honda (Classic) in a practice round and I hit it great and I'm thinking, how does this guy make a living," Mahan said. "I think I missed the cut that week and he got like a top-20 or a top-10. I said, 'I've got a lot to learn. There's a reason the guy's been out here 20 years.'

"They just have no memory. They just forget stuff so fast. They just play golf and they know exactly what to do to get the most out of themselves. I really didn't know much. I had a lot to learn. I still do."

Maybe not as much as he thinks.