Paul Casey enjoys refreshing Masters round

Maybe it was the pace of play or improved conditions. Maybe it was the ability of his playing partner.

Or maybe it just boiled down to a good night's sleep.

Whatever the case, Paul Casey found Saturday's third round of the Masters much more to his liking. After barely making the cut with opening rounds of 74 and 75, Casey got things turned around at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday, shooting 3-under 69.

"The first two days was some of the toughest stuff I've seen around here," Casey said. "I've always approached this place understanding that it's one of the ultimate tests, so I don't mind when it's excruciatingly difficult because they never cross the line in fairness. But it was two of the least enjoyable days, because of mainly my lack of ball-striking that I've had at Augusta National.

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"Today was a complete antithesis. It was an absolute joy to stroll around."

A better night of rest certainly helped Casey's walk, and game. Dealing with tightness in his hips all week, Casey hadn't been able to fight through it, and it showed in his ball-striking, which he said was "poor all week."

He found a remedy at home, well, the house he and his family rented for the week.

"I ended up sleeping with my little boy, because he's got a different mattress," Casey said. "I said, 'Do you mind if Daddy sleeps in your bed tonight? And he was like, 'Yeah sure.' The beds in the house we rented, the one I got was not great."

If that wasn't refreshing enough, Saturday's scenario added a little spring to Casey's step. The first player on the course, Casey was paired with marker Jeff Knox, and the two navigated the course in about three and a half hours after rounds Friday were five hours or more.

"We both played nice clean rounds of golf," Casey said. "Obviously, I prefer how we played it today in pace of play. ... I would love to do that every single weekend if I could."

Knox is hardly just a fill-in as the customary Masters marker. He holds the member's course record at Augusta National, and his ability and course knowledge make him formidable in that role, even beating Rory McIlroy head to head in 2014.

Casey didn't suffer the same fate Saturday, making four birdies and only one bogey, but he acknowledged that Knox's presence played a role in his stellar round.

"It was great fun," Casey said. "I've played with markers before, but that was the best experience I've ever had with a marker. ... It was great stuff. He played better golf than a lot of the pros will play today."