Bubba Watson plays another confident Masters round

Bubba Watson continued playing with confidence at the 82nd Masters Tournament, something he once again stressed that he did not have when the event began at Augusta National.

His 4-under-par 68 on Saturday pushed him to 6 under for the tournament and in a tie for sixth. He’s eight shots behind leader Patrick Reed.

“I got confidence on the 13th hole of the first round and since then I’ve played a lot better,” Watson said. “That’s all we need, a little something to spur us on. We’re playing a great golf tournament; but then Patrick Reed is doing really good.”

Watson finished with a 1-over 73 on Thursday but has played his next two rounds at 7 under.

“On 13 that first day something clicked and I felt it,’ Watson said. “We know that it’s out there for somebody. Hopefully we can still have a chance.”

PHOTOS: Third Round Action at Augusta

The 39-year-old two-time champion  could have had a better day Saturday. His third round began with birdies on Nos. 2 and 3, and another at No. 7 dropped him to 5 under for the tournament.

Back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9 all but erased what he had gained on the front nine. He managed to birdie 10, but gave it right back at 11.

“I got a little lazy on 8 through 11,” Watson said. “I started second-guessing the wind and the shot process for those few holes. I just kind of went blank for a bit.”

He quickly found his confidence, with birdies on Nos. 12, 14 and 15 before parring his final three holes.

The University of Georgia alum said he wasn’t discouraged by playing a solid round even as Reed’s lead grew.

“We’re so good out here that there’s going to be times (like that),” Watson said. “We’ve seen Tiger throughout the years, we’ve seen Jordan Spieth. I wasn’t around when some of the other greats did this, but it’s one of those things (that can happen) when we get the confidence.”