Watson fires 65 to get back into thick of things

• By Ryan Ballengee
• Apr 28, 2012 7:23 PM ET

AVONDALE, La. - After a pair of ‘tired’ rounds at the Zurich Classic, Bubba Watson woke up on Saturday to shoot 7-under 65 and find himself 47 spots higher on the leaderboard.

"Got nine hours of sleep last night, 11 hours the night before, so feeling rested. I made a lot of good swings today, hit a lot of good putts, hit a lot of greens today. It turned into a low score," he said. 

Watson made seven birdies and an eagle on the round. Were it not for a double bogey at the par-3 17th hole, his eighth of the day, Watson would have landed a new course record at TPC Louisiana.

"I basically kicked myself in the butt and said, 'Look, if you're going to come out here, come out and try. Don't just be out here to be out here.' I knew if I could shoot something under par the last two days, the finish would be somewhat respectable. This was a lot lower than I hoped for," he said.

The Masters champion had a friendly grouping on Saturday, playing with Graeme McDowell and Geoff Ogilvy. McDowell and Watson both hyped their tee time on Twitter. Watson saw it as an opportunity to soak up some wisdom from fellow major champions.

"I knew the pairing was going to be fun, with good guys to talk to - to talk about winning majors and all the stuff that comes with it," he said.

Sitting at T-16, Watson is in position to maintain his goal of finishing in the top 18 or better.

"As long as I don't choke tomorrow, I should have a good shot at it," he joked.