Sam Greenwood / Getty Images

Padraig Harrington plays a shot on the second hole during the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Saturday.

It will be the first time Woods and Harrington have played in the final pairing since the 2006 Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour, which featured a rare collapse by the world’s No. 1 player. Woods blew a three-shot lead with six holes to play, then lost to Harrington on the second playoff hole.

Harrington also held off a hard-charging Woods at the Target World Challenge seven years ago, a year-end exhibition. Even so, for so many players scarred by losing to the world’s No. 1 player, Harrington is among the few with positive recall.

“Obviously, at this stage I know it’s going to be a difficult day,” he said. “Just the hype of it all, everything about it, it’s just going to be a lot of work tomorrow.”

The hard work came in the middle of his round, when Harrington failed to take advantage of birdie chances and then had to scramble for par. One great save came with a 6-iron he punched out of the trees and onto the green at No. 9. Another came with a superb chip out of the rough for a tap-in par at the 10th. Pars gave him the momentum to make birdies, and he knocked them in from 30 feet on the 12th, 20 feet on the 13th, and he hit the flag with his tee shot on the 15 for another birdie.

Woods began his run with an approach that spun back to 6 feet on the 13th for birdie, then picked up another birdie from 15 feet on the fringe at the 15th. His experience at Firestone really showed on the par-5 16th, where he faced a tricky shot from 90 yards to a back pin. His lob wedge hit some 8 feet short of the hole, took a hard hop past the hole, then spun back to a foot.

“Every putt I had for birdie, I made it,” said Woods, who had only 23 putts. “It was the complete opposite of yesterday.”

Harrington is hopeful of one more good round, making it tough for anyone — Woods included — to beat him. Then he considered what awaits next week at Hazeltine, and he changed his answer.

“Actually, I’d like five more (good) rounds — four next week, as well,” he said.

The pairings for the PGA Championship were released Friday evening. Harrington and Woods will be in the same group.