Zach Johnson has a cold, but his play at the PGA Championship is warm

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - Zach Johnson isn't asking for anyone's prayers or pity.

He's sick, but as he has shown through 54 holes at the PGA Championship, his golf game isn't.

“What's that they say about ‘Beware of a wounded dog?' Or is that a wounded duck? No, I think it's a dog,” Johnson said, sounding as hoarse as an old hound early Saturday evening at Whistling Straits.

His game, however, has had enough bite to leave him tied for seventh-place entering Sunday's final round. He tacked on a 3-under-par 69 to his first two rounds of 69 and 70, and is five shots behind leader Nick Watney.

Since Tuesday, Johnson has suffered from congestion, a sore throat, headaches - the whole gamut of woes associated with a full-blown summer cold. But his aim was true again Saturday.

“It's a head cold, sinuses ... but I can fight it. I came into the week feeling good,” Johnson said, referring to his game, not his health.

“I'm playing pretty solid golf. I'm hitting a lot of fairways, giving myself a lot of opportunities.”

Physically, he said, “I don't feel good. I got 12 hours of sleep last night, and I'm hoping for a good number of hours tonight.”

“Z” bought himself some extra time for “ZZZZZs” Saturday night with his good play. His tee time Sunday isn't until 1:08 p.m. His playing partner will be 1995 PGA champion Steve Elkington.

Saturday was probably a tiptoe on the shore of Lake Michigan compared to Friday, when Johnson finished the last six holes of his darkness-suspended first round before playing his regularly scheduled second round.

“I was here from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” he said. “That was not pleasant, but it's just the nature of the job.”

Johnson looked just fine on the course Saturday, playing before a lot of spectators who cheered him and made references to his Iowa-Ness.

He rarely got into trouble, and came very close to canning a few monster putts that would have had him nipping at Watney's heels when Sunday's play began.

The round did have an unfortunate end for the Cedar Rapids native, though. Johnson's worst tee shot was saved for last as he deposited his drive on No. 18 in a fairway bunker and needed three shots to reach the green of the par-4. He had to settle for his only bogey of the day.

Johnson has just four bogeys in three rounds here, but three have come on 18.

“I'm going to hit the fairway on 18 and I'm going to hit the green in two on 18,” he declared after the round. “We'll see how that works.”

What's as tough and probably tougher for him than a bad cold or that vexing final hole is spending his second-straight week away from his St. Simons Island, Ga., home. His second child, son Wyatt, was born on July 23.

Johnson played at the World Golf Championships event in Ohio the week before the PGA. The world-class players are in the busiest part of their season at this time of year, and three consecutive weeks of FedExCup playoffs begin on Aug. 23.

“It's hard being gone,” said Johnson. “Very difficult. But what's reassuring is my wife is awesome, and she's got help at home.

“I've got my job, which is time-consuming and mentally consuming. But when I get back to my room, technology helps. I've got Skype, so I can see my family (via webcam).

“But for this two-week period, it's the nature of my job.”

If Watney stumbles under the pressure of trying to win his first major championship, who's to say the 2007 Masters champ won't be among those seizing the opportunity?

None of the six players ahead of Johnson on the leader board have won a major, and the wind is expected to gust here Sunday at 20 to 25 mph.

Johnson's first son, Will, was 14 weeks old when Daddy won the Masters. You don't suppose Wyatt can top that by 12 weeks, do you?