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By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

ATLANTA -- How good was this?

Zach Johnson sits fourth heading into Sunday's final round at East Lake. (WireImage)

NSIDE THE NUMBERS

Zach Johnson's third round

Eagles 1 Birdies 8 Pars 9 Bogeys 0 Driving Accuracy 71 Driving Distance 280.0 Putts 24

• Full scorecard, click here

As Zach Johnson settled into the bunker on the right side of the 18th green at East Lake Golf Club, the electronic scoreboard lit up with his distance to the pin: 50 feet, 9 inches.

How apropos for a player who would have shot only the fifth 59 in PGA TOUR history had he holed that bunker shot.

Turns out, Johnson didn't. As it was, though, his 29-inch par putt gave the reigning Masters champion a 60 -- which was a course-record, career-best and the lowest round on the PGA TOUR this year.

"(Shooting 59) would have been awesome," Johnson admitted. "It's one of those mysterious numbers we have in golf. Eighteen would probably be another one ... Jack's number of 18 majors. Outside of that, I don't know."

Johnson enters the final round of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola at 13 under, trailing Tiger Woods by six. He also keeps alive his chance at the Georgia Slam after winning the Masters and the AT&T Classic earlier this year.

Johnson first started thinking about the Holy Grail of 59 when he rolled in a 17-footer for eagle at the 15th hole and moved to 9 under for the day. He said he had to take a couple of deep breaths on the 16th tee to settle his nerves.

His drive at the 17th hole settled into the right fairway bunker, but Johnson hit a stellar 4-iron out of the same that left him with a 6-footer for another birdie. After he made the putt and walked to the 18th tee, Johnson said he "could barely stand up."

"My shoulders felt heavy and my legs felt like they weighed nothing," he recalled. "My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding. I was breathing all right, though. I guess the yoga that I've been doing helped out a little bit."

Johnson wanted to hit a smooth 2-iron, but he pulled it into the right front bunker on East Lake's unusual par-3 finishing hole. He had plenty of green to work with, though, and Johnson came within about 12 inches, above the hole, of making it.

"(It was) extremely fun," Johnson said. "That's not an opportunity you get very often. You usually hit 59, but it's by about hole 15 or 16. ... We just had everything going our way."

Johnson isn't a leaderboard-watcher, not is he the kind of player who targets a particular score. He just wanted to keep playing, stay in the present and add them up at the end. He just had a harder time than usual, that's all.

"I can't speak on behalf of the others, but I try not to shoot a number ever," Johnson said. "So when you start thinking about a number, it's usually not a good thing. ...

"Shooting a 59 or winning at Augusta is two totally different entities. I'll tell you right now, I had no idea what I shot at 18 (Sunday) at Augusta, but I had a pretty good idea what I shot today at 18.

"It's just totally different, just a different feeling. You know, living and dying by each shot, I guess."

Johnson wasn't living and dying by each shot that life-changing Sunday in April. He was trying to win a golf tournament --- and therein lies the difference with what transpired at East Lake on Saturday.

"Today, I was kind of playing to shoot 59," Johnson said. "It was just a totally different mind frame. Like I can tell you, when I go back home I try to shoot the course record at times. But it's probably not the way to approach it.

"You know, the scary thing is I had the perfect club and the perfect number on 18 tee shot, I just pulled the shot. It's just a totally different mind frame, a totally different entity. It's hard to explain."

Johnson used just 24 putts on Saturday. He made four birdies on the front nine to turn in 31, then shot 29 on the back with four more birdies and an eagle. He said he also benefited from the company of playing partner Ernie Els.

"Any time you shoot that low, you're obviously putting well," Johnson said. "It doesn't hurt when you've got Ernie, who's probably the most rhythmic guy out there, the way he struts and the way he swings, that was good for me. I enjoyed my day.

"So yeah, I'm hoping that I can throw the day aside and play well again tomorrow."