Young Jordan Spieth grabbed a share of the lead as Bubba Watson suffered on the greens
11.56pm BST
Senden can't make it in for par - he ends the day at -1 - but Bubba can. The overnight leader is still out in front, but he's only sharing it after a ramshackle 74. And after two quiet days, this tournament certainly went supernova today. Tomorrow promises to be another memorable chapter in the famous old Masters story. Just how memorable remains to be seen. Could Jordan Spieth become the youngest winner of this tournament, beating the record of Tiger, who in turn beat Seve, who in turn beat Jack? "If I can win one tournament in my whole life, it would be the Masters," says the mightily impressive young man, "but I try to put that out of my head. But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now!"
-5: Spieth, Bubba
-4: Kuchar, Blixt,
-3: Jimenez, Fowler
-2: Westwood, Furyk, Bjorn
-1: Rose, Stadler, Couples, Senden
E: Woodland, Poulter
+1: Streelman, Scott
+2: Day, Kirk, Stricker, Fernandez-Castano, Henley, Walker
+3: McIlroy, Langer, Stenson, Oosthuizen, Donaldson.
11.51pm BST
Bubba punches a chip up the bank and sends his ball rolling just past the hole, and five feet past. Senden whistles his chip 12 feet past. Two testing par putts here.
11.49pm BST
Senden arcs his ball over the trees - and the green. He's just off the back. A decent effort from where he was. Which is more than you can say for Bubba, who is losing the place completely, pushing a short iron miles left and into the poor patrons to the side of the green. His face is giving off all sorts of micro signals. A nervous twitch here and there. Can he hang onto the lead?
11.43pm BST
A huge break for Bubba, whose ball has twanged back onto the fairway. He's got a clear run to the green! No luck for Senden, who is nearly on the 10th fairway.
11.41pm BST
Bubba is in the woods down the right of 18. What a back nine he's had! The front nine wasn't too clever either, but this has been a very strange performance. His putting has been laughably bad. Senden joins his partner on a forest trek.
11.39pm BST
Up on 18, Bjorn guides a lovely approach pin high. A birdie chance. Blixt is only just on the front of the green. He rolls a stupendously good 40-footer to a couple of inches, and taps in for a 71. Along with Spieth, he's the only player to record three sub-par rounds this week! He's -4, and has done very well after a major wobble along the back nine. Bjorn can't make his birdie, and signs for a 73. He's -2.
11.37pm BST
Bubba's second to 17 finds the heart of the green. But his birdie putt is nothing short of appalling! It's ten foot short, that much is true. This has been an abysmal putting performance on the back nine, really. He slides in the par putt, but you can't be patting him on the back for that. He stays at -5, in a share of the lead with Spieth. Par meanwhile for John Senden, who slipped down the leaderboard early on, but since that double bogey on 7, has played the course in two under! He's -2 overall, and in fine fettle for tomorrow.
11.32pm BST
Spieth knocks his putt up the green to four feet. But first, does anyone remember Adam Scott?! The defending champion has endured a dismal round, never getting going after that bogey-double bogey-bogey start. He pars the last, and signs for a 76. He's +1, and while he's not out of it, joining that elite club of back-to-back champions - Jack, Nick and Tiger - doesn't really look on, does it? Spieth taps in for his par, and scribbles his name on a 70. He's -5, and has a share of the lead. This young man has crashed into the big time, whatever happens tomorrow. He's a special talent. Do you feel old? Yep, me too!
11.28pm BST
Blixt sends his second to 17 off the back right of the green, and his chip back up isn't close at all. He's got a 20-footer for par - and though he gives it a good go, he can't drain it. He's back to -4. Bjorn drops a shot too, it's really sliding away from him, back to -2 now.
11.26pm BST
Spieth, from the Lyle Bunker, finds the heart of the 18th. A testing two-putt for par, but he should be signing for a sub-par round with bogey at the very worst. It really isn't beyond the realms that this superbly talented young man could win tomorrow. If so, he'll be the youngest winner ever, beating Tiger, Seve and Jack Nicklaus. That would be some company to keep.
11.24pm BST
Freddie Couples finishes with a fine par on 18, a great scramble from the bunker on the right. He ends with a 73, and is -1 for the tournament. Blixt wangs his drive at 17 towards some trees down the left. And on 16, Bubba can't get up and down from the back. He underhits his chip, then sends a weak putt wide left of the hole. His putter really is letting him down now, as the pressure tells. Look at this leaderboard now!
-5: Speith (17), Blixt (16), Bubba (16)
-4: Kuchar (F)
-3: Jimenez (F), Fowler (F), Bjorn (16)
11.20pm BST
A real poser for Bubba, who sends his wedge from the tee at 16 into the thick stuff to the right of the green. The flag's nearby, and there's not much green to work with. On the downslope, too. Up on 18, Spieth rattles his drive into the bunker straight ahead. No worse than a bogey here, and he'll become only the third debutant at the Masters to open with three rounds under par, after Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 and Larry Mize in 1984.
11.18pm BST
Blixt tickles his birdie putt into the hole at 16! A gorgeous right-to-left swinger, judged beautifully! Back-to-back birdies, and the gunslinger is shooting up the leaderboard. He's a shot off Bubba, as is Spieth, who takes two fuss-free putts to make par on the very dangerous 17th. Bjorn has to settle for par, staying put at -3. He looks shot right now.
11.16pm BST
Bubba's pitch from the back of 15 only just gets up onto the green, and the fringe at that. He leaves the birdie putt short, and that's another par that'll feel like a bogey. On 16, Blixt lands his tee shot pin high. He'll have a 15-footer for birdie. He looks to have got over his little mid-round fit. Bjorn goes fairly close too, which is a fine response to the muddled way he perambulated down 15.
11.14pm BST
The tactically astute Spieth eschews attacking the flag at 17, settling for a shot into the heart of the green instead. He should make par from there. Up on 18, a bit of trouble for Furyk, who pulls his second into the punters to the left. His pitch isn't great, 15 feet past the hole, and he can't knock in the par putt coming back. That's a bogey, and he ends with a level-par 72, back where he started on -2 overall. "Not sure I see Jiménez as a Rioja man," writes Ian Copestake. "Probably brushes his teeth in it every month but surely he has his own brand of hard liquor fermented from the sweat rung out of his bandana."
11.09pm BST
Bubba, having whistled another biggie down 15, sends his second through the green and down the back of the slope. Like Bjorn before him, only in different ways, he too is making a nine-course tasting menu of these par fives. It's just handing shots to the field! Of course, there's a chance Bubba could salvage something here. Let's see how it pans out.
11.07pm BST
Bjorn can't save his par. He's gone 6-6 on the par fives here, getting wet on them both. He's back to -3. Blixt ballooned his drive into the patrons at this hole, laid up, then chipped to ten feet, before draining the birdie effort. He rises to -4 again, and could teach Bjorn a thing or two about learning lessons quickly.
11.05pm BST
Spieth leaves himself a lot to do on 16, a huge uphill putt. He nearly drains it, too, but it's a couple of turns short. Par. He's still only the one stroke behind the leader Watson. "Yes," replies Simon Farnaby (10.42pm), who doesn't fancy letting Jim Furyk off the hook, "but Seve put his 4-iron into the drink with memories of his recently deceased father buzzing in his head. Furyk just hoicked his hybrid into the pool like a 16 handicapper after too many Buds." Don't look him in the eye, folks, he's spoiling for a rumble before closing time!
11.00pm BST
Bubba's approach to 14 is Blixtesque, miles to the right of the target. He sends the birdie effort to four feet, and claps the par putt into the cup. He stays in the lead at -6. Meanwhile up on 15, Bjorn dumps another ball into the water. There's something to be said for laying up and chipping close, you know.
10.55pm BST
Pipe dream, schmipe dream. Spieth, having chipped out from the woods, taking his medicine, lifts his third to eight feet. He bounces back from every single knock. He is fantastic to watch. And he rolls in his putt! Back-to-back birdies, and he's -5, one shot off the lead! What a response this is to that silly missed tiddler on 13. He's a proper player, and only 20 years old. Wow. He really could become the first debutant to win here since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. There's a story brewing here, he looks unshakeable.
10.52pm BST
Spieth in trees down the right of 15. He has to squirt it back out onto the fairway. A birdie looks a pipe dream at the moment, a par nirvana. Blixt's gun-slinging game is beginning to look rusty. His approach to the 14th finds the front of the green, then curls off to the right. He'll still be 60 feet away from the target. Bjorn's not particularly close either. Here's how we look right now:
-6: Bubba (13)
-4: Kuchar (F), Spieth (14), Bjorn (13)
-3: Jimenez (F), Fowler (F), Furyk (16), Blixt (13)
-2: Westwood (F), Couples (16), Senden (13)
10.47pm BST
Bubba in the middle of the 13th fairway. And now in the middle of the 13th green. He'll have a putt for eagle, and - all of his closest competitors recently having suffered minor meltdowns - a four-stroke lead again! But he underhits his putt by six feet! That is useless! And he pushes his birdie effort past the hole! He'll have to make do with par! That'll pain him. "I like to think of Miguel Angel as the anti-Sergio," writes Simon Mcmahon. "Doesn't care versus cares too much. Combine the two and you have a multiple major winner. But I like them both just the way they are. They're why sport, and in particular major tournament golf, is so compelling."
10.42pm BST
Kuchar is so close to draining a spectacular one up 18. It's straight at the hole, and hits the back of the cup, but bounces up and jumps out! How unlucky! He taps in, dropping a shot at the end, but that's a 68, and he's -4 for the tournament. Furyk drops one on 15, leaving himself a 25-footer for par. He's back to -3. Blixt and Bjorn drop strokes too, the former slipping back to -3, the latter -4. Meanwhile Spieth replicates the shot Couples hit on 14 a couple of minutes ago. Marvellous. A facsimile. He taps in for birdie, and he's -4 again! "Wow, Furyk, Blixt, Bjorn ... a lot of people forgetting their true abilities," opines Simon Farnaby. "Thomas, you are not Seve! E.g. you use hybrids!" In fairness, they're doing quite a good impression of Seve circa '86, aren't they.
10.37pm BST
Kuchar down the back of 18 with his second. He takes putter back up the hill. The ball's practically stopped when it reaches the putting surface, rolls slowly towards the cup, nearly drops, then races off down to the front of the green. He's got a 50-footer coming back for par! That is ludicrous. And so very Augusta. It's like the mid 80s all over again (7.30pm). I feel warm inside all of a sudden.
10.32pm BST
Brilliance from Bubba on 12, pin high, a 15-footer left for birdie. Nerveless. His birdie putt is only a turn away from dropping. Not so nerveless is young Jordan Spieth, whose jangling constitution betrays him for the first time. He lays up and clips his third four feet from the pin, but yips the birdie chance. No birdie since 6, he could have done with that for a little momentum. On 15, Furyk dumps the weakest of weak approaches straight into the drink. That wasn't even close. Closer was Blixt on 13, but for the second time in three holes he's wet. He was only a yard away from landing on the green, but the ball hit the bank and sprang rightwards, into Rae's Creek. And Bjorn follows him in! This is carnage. This is a rare old rollercoaster today, no?
10.25pm BST
Couples knocks in his birdie effort! He's back to -2, where he started the day. A staunch up and down from the back of 12 by Blixt. Bjorn lifts his ball out of the sand and then follows Blixt in for par. They both leave the green in happier frames of mind than the ones they arrived in. Two putts at 11 for Bubba, and par, though his first birdie effort was a bit tentative. He's not quite on his game in the way he was during the week.
10.22pm BST
Freddie Couples bogeyed 12, birdied 13, and now he's hit one of the shots of the day on 14, an approach which lands 25 feet to the left of the pin, just behind, then curls round to the right and stops four feet behind the hole. What a chance to move to -2! Speaking of which, a dropped shot for Westwood, three around the green, at 17, but a par at 18 gives him a round of 70. He's -2 overall, and right in this championship. Meanwhile here's a modern morality play, or somesuch, from Mac Millings: "You may remember my campaign to get Sergio to stay at my house a couple of years back. Well, the kids kept digging deeper and deeper. So deep that (fans of grotesquerie may be intrigued to learn) when one of our cats died, we buried him in Sergio's Hole." Maybe you should have put one of your boots in there, too. That's what a lot of us who have backed him with cash money over the years would quite like to do.
10.18pm BST
Bjorn's tee shot at 12 lands on the bank of the bunker at the front of the green, and bounds into the one at the back. He sports an affronted look on his phizog. Blixt goes off the back left. Neither men look happy. Back on 11, Bubba clatters his second into the front of the green; he'll have a safe uphill putt for birdie from 25 feet. He's beginning to regain a semblance of control over this.
-6: Bubba (10)
-5: Kuchar (16), Bjorn (11)
-4: Furyk (14), Blixt (11)
-3: Jimenez (F), Fowler (F), Spieth (12)
10.13pm BST
Blixt, from the drop zone behind the water at 11, bumps a stunning chip into the green. The ball curls right to left in front of the hole, a dimple away from dropping, a dimple away from a crazy par. He'll drop a shot, and go back to -4, but that will feel like an escape, despite it all. Bjorn splashes out from the sand to ten feet, then pops in the par putt. That's an exceptional save.
10.10pm BST
Awful fortune for Blixt down 11. He bangs his drive into trees down the right, but he's got a shot to the green. He hits a marvellous effort right at the flag, but the ball takes a frankly stupid 90-degree bounce off to the left... and into the water. Oh dear. That might have hit a sprinkler head, though I can't be sure about that. Anyway, he's wet. Bjorn's approach flies past the flag and into the bunker at the back. He'll have a tricky splash out, because the green slopes down to the water dramatically. That slope just did for Spieth, who chipped from the back and went 30 feet past the hole. Two putts back up the slope and he bogeyed, dropping back to -3.
10.06pm BST
Kuchar slides in his birdie putt! That's three in a row, but that birdie was just out of this world! What a chip that was from the bottom of a huge bank down the back of the green, onto a glacial putting surface! Shot of the week, almost certainly. Meanwhile back on 13, a birdie for Furyk! He's -4! And on 10, Bubba raps in his putt for a deserved birdie! He's the sole leader again at -6! This is getting rather silly now. This is a jaw-dropping third round.
10.03pm BST
Kuchar's lob onto 15 from the back of the green isn't quite in the Mickelson league, but that shouldn't take away from it's elegant brilliance. He swishes a long, high lob onto the fringe by the front of the green, and the ball rolls gently to 12 feet! That is unbelievably good! Shot of the day! A chance for birdie, which seemed totally beyond him a minute ago.
10.01pm BST
Bjorn and Blixt both leave their first putts a little short on 10, but knock in the par savers. Bubba, coming behind them, knocks his approach to six feet. That's a way to respond to folk nicking your lead! If he taps that in, he'll feel a bit better coming into Amen Corner. "This is boiling up very nicely," writes Seamus Devlin, who already knows the answer to the following question: "But do you think Jimenez is in the hotel gym or sitting with a large glass of Rioja with his feet up watching them come back to him?"
9.57pm BST
Kuchar, having hauled himself right into contention with back-to-back birdies, has just sent a hot second through the green at 15. He's right down the back of the hill. There's not a lot of green to play with, the flag near side, water on the other. That's almost impossible, in fact. Was it last year, or the year before, when Phil Mickelson took a huge full swing and hit a lob wedge from that same spot about 600 miles into the air, landing it on a postage stamp, and somehow getting away with it? If just about anyone else tried the shot, we all sighed, they'd probably thin it, whistle the ball straight into the crowd and kill some poor punter. Well, we're going to find out if that was true. Maybe.
9.52pm BST
Blixt into the heart of 10 with his approach. Bjorn down the front of the green with his. Spieth, before them, got up and down rather marvellously from a tricky spot front left, and heads into Amen Corner with his par. Then clubs a fine drive straight down 11. Down on that green, a rare birdie - and it's for Freddie Couples! He's back to -1. The dream's not quite dead yet. It's not quite dead yet.
9.50pm BST
Bubba is melting down under the Georgia sun. He batters another long drive, down 9, then lifts a wedge into the green which spins halfway back down the huge putting surface. That won't be an easy two putt for par. His playing partner Senden double bogeyed 7, but he appears to have bottomed out. A birdie at 8, and now he's nearly slam-dunked his second at 9 straight into the cup. That birdie will take him back to -2 for the tournament, though he'll still be +2 for his round today. Meanwhile a par for Westwood in 16, and another birdie for Matt Kuchar, this time at the difficult 14th. He's -4! This really is hotting up quite magnificently!
9.45pm BST
And Bubba's no longer in sole possession of the lead! Because the gunslinger Jonas Blixt, who could only find the front of the 9th with his approach, has just rattled in an uphill 30-footer for birdie! And he's -5 too! As is Thomas Bjorn, whose second to 9 was pin high, the 12-foot birdie effort slipping into the hole effortlessly. Less than 60 minutes ago, Bubba was four shots clear. And now look at this leaderboard! With added Lee Westwood, who was an inch away from draining a 40-footer on 15 for eagle!
-5: Bjorn (9), Blixt (9), Bubba (8)
-4: Spieth (9)
-3: Jimenez (F), Fowler (F), Westwood (15), Kuchar (13), Stadler (13), Furyk (13)
9.40pm BST
Bubba punches a chip up the hill at the back of 8 and onto the green. It should bite near the hole, but surprise surprise, it rolls eight feet past. That's a testing birdie putt. He fails to hit it, a lame prod, and that's a painful par. He's very unlucky there, as his approach and even the chip back were better than decent, and the results were needlessly punitive. But that birdie putt was a real yip, so I suppose in some respects it all balances out. He'll certainly not see it that way, though. He's still -5.
9.37pm BST
Kuchar leaves Amen Corner with a level balance sheet, reclaiming the shot he dropped at 11 on 13. Back at 8, Bubba booms a preposterously long drive down the track, then sends his second, rather unluckily, scampering past the hole and off the back of the green. A trick up and down for birdie, when he really should have two easy putts. These greens are ridiculously solid. Up on 9, Spieth takes two fuss-free putts for his par. And on 15, Westwood dices with the water in front of the green, but he's on in two. A long eagle putt awaits him. Two putts, and he'll be -3. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, you know what he's like with that flat stick.
9.31pm BST
This has the potential to be a brilliant Masters. Correction: another brilliant Masters.
9.31pm BST
Spieth in the middle of 9. An 8-iron sent pin high, albeit just off the green. He'll have a 15-footer for birdie. Blixt meanwhile shows why, on Sky, the European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley called him an "old-fashioned gunslinger". After a stunning up and down from the back of 7 to save par, he's at the same tricks again, taking two putts on a rock-solid green from 45 feet for par. His playing partner Bjorn performs a bit of escapology, too, chipping down the glacial green to a couple of feet to ensure he doesn't leave any shots on the hole either. The pair remain at -4, a shot off the lead.
9.27pm BST
Stephen Gallacher of Scotland, then. I've not mentioned him, despite his starting at -1. And with good reason. He double bogeyed 4, and then repeated the trick at 9 and 10. He's +6 for the round coming down 11 - and now he's dumped his second in the water. Oh dear. Let's not dwell on this. Anyway, big news elsewhere: Bubba nearly drains his uphill 25-footer from the front fringe at 7, but it skates past the right of the cup, and he's back to -5. His lead is only one shot! I tell you what, with the course - and specifically the greens - sure to get harder as the afternoon wears on, the lads in the clubhouse at -3 will have the cigars and brandies on. (I mean, we knew this of Jimenez anyway, but still ...)
-5: Bubba (7)
-4: Spieth (8), Bjorn (7), Blixt (7)
-3: Jimenez (F), Fowler (F), Furyk (10)
9.23pm BST
Bubba's in the bunker at the back of 7. He's got a pained look on his big red coupon. He's started poorly, despite an eagle at 2, and he's not in a chipper mood. This is a bit of a puzzle, coming out of the trap with the green sloping dramatically. He splashes out, but the ball runs through the green and off the other side, 25 feet from the pin. That was punishment for the second shot, rather than anything he did in the sand. But this is Augusta for you, they all know the rules.
9.19pm BST
Senden isn't the only player suffering today. Also very much not enjoying themselves: Fred Couples (+2 today, level overall); Jimmy Walker (ditto); and the defending champion Adam Scott, who really is having a nightmare. Bogeys at 1 and 5, plus a double at 4 thanks to a loose tee shot and a hot putt sent skittering miles past the flag. He's +4 for his round through 7, and ... oh, hold on, birdie at 8! He's back to level par for the tournament. Scott bounced back from a nightmare start yesterday; can he do so again?
9.18pm BST
Lee Westwood suddenly looks involved here. He birdies 13, getting up and down well from off the back of the green with his putter, and he's -2, only four off the lead! Rose can't convert his birdie at 18, but par gives him a very useful 69, and he's -1 for the tournament.
9.13pm BST
On 6, Bubba is about 70 feet away from the hole. He feathers his ball, and watches as it gathers speed and nearly sails off the other side of the green. He's not far from knocking in the par putt from 20 feet away, but that's a shot gone. He's still in the lead, but it's only two strokes now: -6. I guess it's the same for everyone, and if you don't get out of position, you don't get these problems, but even so. Back at -4, Blixt gets up and down from the back of 7 to save par brilliantly. Russell Henley is hanging on in there: he's back to -1 with birdies at 7 and 9. On 18, Rose has a chance to grab back the shot he dropped on 17, creaming his second to eight feet below the hole on the last. And Kuchar limits the damage on 11 to a bogey, taking two putts from 25 feet. He's back to -2.
9.06pm BST
Bubba on the tee at 6. He pulls his tee shot, finding the top ridge at the back-right of the green. He's faced with a huge putt down the face of the Eiger. Senden is beginning to have one of those shockers players often have in the final group on day three. After the bogey on 5, he's only on the front of the green here, facing a tricky two putt. Rose three-putts 17 to drop back to -1. And on 11, trouble brewing for Matt Kuchar, who is playing three in Mize Country to the right of the green, and sends his chip rolling past the pin and halfway down to the water. He'll have to deal with quite a poser coming back for par.
9.04pm BST
Senden's pitch from the front of 5 is weak and uncertain, and only just gets over the main ridge. He'll be facing a long par putt. He rattles it miles past the hole, but holes the return to limit the damage to bogey. Bubba doesn't get aggressive looking for a birdie and takes two careful putts for a par. On 7, Spieth hits a heavy approach into the bunker at the front of the green, but then splashes out delicately to four feet below the hole. That's magical. What a talent he is! And what a par save, as he taps in with confidence.
-7: Bubba (6)
-4: Spieth (7), Bjorn (6), Blixt (6)
-3: Jimenez (F), Fowler (F), Kuchar (10), K Stadler (10), Furyk (8)
8.57pm BST
It's been pars all the way for Thomas Bjorn, but that's done now. What a birdie putt he's curled in on 6! His tee shot wasn't all that, sent to the back right of the green. But he's set a 35-footer way out left, and back into the cup at speed! Probably just as well the hole got in the way there, or he might have been facing another lengthy putt back, but never mind that: he's -4!
8.55pm BST
A wee bit of trouble at 5 for Senden, whose second only just reaches the front of a very large and undulating green. His playing partner Bubba plays it safe, his approach landing in the middle of the green, from where he should secure a two-putt par. Jim Furyk, who is still flying under everyone's radar, slides a 40-foot birdie putt on 8 to a couple of inches. Par wasn't a certainty from there, that's a great putt. After birdies at 2 and 3 followed by a stream of pars, he's -3 and in very good shape.
8.52pm BST
So much for Blixt's sole ownership of second place. The brilliant Jordan Spieth tickles in a birdie putt on 6, and he's back to -4 too. Rose's birdie effort on 16 is a tad timid - like that's a crime around Augusta - and dies to the left, though it does skate a couple of feet past, giving us some understanding of his unwillingness to race the ball aggressively at the hole. Up on 10, Matt Kuchar follows up birdie at 9 with a solid par on 10. He's -3. This is turning into a very interesting tournament, and if Bubba somehow falters, it's going to become a manic one.
8.48pm BST
Fowler can't make his birdie, but that's a 67, and he's -3 overall, right in this championship. His playing partner Ian Poulter taps in for his par, and a two-under 70. Good, though it could have been better, without those bogeys on 12 and 14. Blixt knocks in a very tricky left-to-right slider on 5 for birdie, and he's suddenly in sole ownership of second place at -4.
8.46pm BST
Rose is making the best of his good fortune on 15, sending his tee shot at 16 over the flag, and giving himself a 15-footer for birdie. He's played very well today. Rickie Fowler has been in the mood, too, and he's given himself a putt for a 66 on 18. His approach lands ten feet below the flag. That's a great chance for birdie.
8.45pm BST
Thanks to Niall there. Now then, a quite astonishing birdie on 15 for Justin Rose, who bangs a huge drive straight down the middle, then does his level best to dump his approach into the water guarding the front of the green. The bank is his friend, holding the ball up. Rose then duffs his chip. And then rakes in a 40-footer! He's -2 overall, and not out of this. Especially if Bubba blows up. He's shown no signs this week, of course, but he's not playing 4 particularly well. His tee shot came up short, and he's just hit a hot second ten feet past the hole. He sets the par putt out too far to the left, and that's a bogey. He's level par for the day, despite that stunning eagle on 2.
8.39pm BST
With Bubba teeing off on the awkward par-3 4th hole, it's time to hand back to Scott Murray, who has sated his need for Hamburger Helper and will guide you through the rest of Moving Day.
8.38pm BST
Matt Kuchar birdies the 9th hole to sidle into the chasing pack, joining (deep breath) Jimenez, Fowler, Furyk, Spieth, Bjorn, Blixt and Senden on -3. There's a five shot gap between this rabble and leader Bubba Watson. Who fancies making this tricky for him?
8.34pm BST
Bubba with a birdie chance at the 3rd, but his approach left him a touch too much to do, and he'll settle for par. John Senden lips out on his par putt, and records a bogey. Watson is five shots clear of the Australian now - if he can keep his recent form up, he'll be tough to keep up with today.
8.30pm BST
Also in missed putts - Poulter misses a birdie chance at the 17th. The Englishman went out in 33, but hasn't carried that momentum back towards the clubhouse.
8.28pm BST
Unlucky, Lee. Another tough line for Westwood, but he's much closer this time, missing the birdie putt by inches. He's gone through the front nine at one under, so he won't be too distraught. Probably.
8.24pm BST
Nice work from the American today - he's moved from +2 to -3. Jordan Spieth struggles on the par-3 4th hole, and drops back with a bogey. John Senden sends his tee shot on the third to the left, causing spectators to scamper out of the way. It's not as bad as it looks - he has a decent angle to approach the green.
8.21pm BST
...subject to immediate and dramatic change, as the leading groups get moving.
-8 B Watson (US)
8.19pm BST
A fine putt it was too, stroking the ball up the incline from some twenty feet. He's now one under par. Lee Westwood gets another chance for a birdie - but he comes up short on the ninth. His putt looked to be a touch on the wobbly side, but it was slowed down by a big break on the putting line.
8.15pm BST
John Senden, playing alongside Watson, bogeyed the first but has recovered to birdie the second - he's on 4 under for the tournament.
8.12pm BST
Watson has gathered his thoughts and set himself up beautifully for an eagle putt at the second. He needs to get going - Jordan Speith, the hugely promising American, has notched a birdie to go clear in second place. Elsewhere, Lee Westwood has two birdies and is in the red at -1.
8.09pm BST
Thanks Scott. How about Miguel Angel Jimenez? The 50-year-old has packed his bags and hired a Transit van on Moving Day, posting a remarkable 66 to join the pack chasing down Bubba Watson. The 2012 champion is off to a shaky start, and has dropped to -6 after the first hole. It's all happening out there.
8.03pm BST
A dropped shot by both Bubba and John Senden on the opening hole! The concertinaing of the field is on! He's back to -6 with a bullet! And an equally shoddy start by the defending champ Adam Scott, who bogeys 1, dropping back to -2. That means he'll not feature in this, the latest leaderboard:
-6: Bubba (1)
-3: Jimenez (F), Furyk (4), Speith (2), Bjorn (1), Blixt (1), Senden (1)
7.57pm BST
Miguel Angel Jimenez pars the last, and signs for a brilliant best-of-week 66. He's -3 for the tournament, tied in third place right now! What a performance! And he should be within striking distance tomorrow, unless a couple of these lads up the top of the leaderboard do something similarly spectacular. But it's been a sad end for Gary Woodland, who bogeys the last and makes do with a 69. He's level par for the tournament, but boy, did it go wrong for him on that back nine. He was out in 30 strokes, harbouring serious thoughts of a record-breaking score. But Amen Corner hoofed him all about the shop, and here we all are.
7.52pm BST
Jimmy Walker is on the course, and has parred the opening two holes. Now there would be a popular winner, a man who walks a path less trodden. He, his wife Erin and his kids live in an RV - a Recreational Vehicle or, for the benefit of readers in the UK, a big camper van - for 30 weeks of the year. They trundle around the country solving crimes. OK, no: Jimmy plays golf and takes photographs of the stars - the proper stars, he's an astrophotographer ("I do miss being under the stars") - while Erin writes a travel blog: "At Pebble Beach we ate at Bistro Moulin, a quaint French restaurant. Jimmy had the Hanger steak and his comment was, 'If you know anything about steak, you will be really impressed any time a restaurant has Hanger steak on the menu.' " All this information is courtesy of Andy Bull who - I'll level with you, I'm worried about him - might have gotten a tad obsessed. "He's parked up in a field over the road," he reports. "In fact I've decided I want Jimmy Walker's life."
7.38pm BST
Jimenez has parred 17. He's coming up 18, where a par would give him a best-of-week 66. Meanwhile we've got a new hot starter on our hands. Matt Kuchar has birdied 2 and 3, and he's -2 for this tournament. Poulter's charge has come a wee bit unstuck, however. He's bogeyed 12, and now misses a pretty makeable birdie putt on 13. He remains at -1. A chance spurned there, as he'd boomed a big drive down the hole, only to send a poor approach over the back. Fowler birdies, though, and he's -1 too now. Plenty of players making moves. It'll be up to Bubba, John Senden, et al to respond.
7.30pm BST
Par for Woodland on 15, a hole he'd have hoped to pick up a shot on. But an errant drive jiggered that dream. Now he's hit a tame iron into 16, leaving himself a long putt up a ridge to the flag on the right. The mojo's sinking. A par will have to do. (Horschel converted his eagle on 15 back there, by the way.) Meanwhile, the committee at Augusta may have been under a little pressure to make the course a slightly easier proposition today, reports Andy Bull. "The greens have been brutally tough on the first two days," he says, "rock hard, and with all the pins back in the corners. There is a lot of grumbling about it." Yep, the greens have been very lively indeed, even by the double-glazed standards of Augusta National. Mind you, and this could be the memory playing tricks, but I recall watching the Masters back in the mid to late 80s, and every other minute of coverage saw some poor bugger scampering haplessly back down the fairway, chasing after a recalcitrant ball, having gingerly attempted to convert a two-footer for par only for events to spiral wildly out of control. That doesn't seem to happen so often these days. Did the greens get slower? Or is it my mind that lost a couple of points on the stimp? It's probably my mind, isn't it.
7.17pm BST
McIlroy has just been interviewed on the Sky Sports telecommunications channel. He's of the opinion that the flag positions are much easier than they were on Thursday and Friday, though Augusta being Augusta, they're not giving everything for free: the pins at 8 and 13 have been tucked away with extreme prejudice. A 68, he says, would be a good, attainable score for those higher up the leaderboard. Meanwhile Woodland very nearly recorded an albatross earlier on 2, and now his playing partner Billy Horschel (+6) isn't far away, his approach into 15 landing in the heart of the green before curling round to the left and stopping three feet from the pin. And on 16, Jimenez knocks his tee shot 15 feet past the hole, then rattles in a left-to-right slider for yet another birdie! He's six under for his round, and -3 for the championship!
7.08pm BST
Woodland can't make his par putt, and he's back to -1. I think it's very much time to switch our attention to Jimenez, who is currently striding across Sarazen Bridge at the 15th, having sent his third shot over the flag, leaving a 15 footer coming back for birdie. But it's not going in, sliding off to the right. He taps in to remain at -2 overall. A chance spurned.
7.01pm BST
Woodland doesn't have a path to the 14th, but he nearly makes the front of the green anyway. That's a decent effort from a tight spot. He's currently at -2, a mark also reached today by the equally upwardly mobile Jimenez, as well as Ian Poulter (latest birdies at 9 and 10) and Snedeker, who has picked up another shot at 3. Woodland pitches up pin high to 12 feet, but he'll be struggling to make par here.
6.57pm BST
Pars all the way in. That's easier said than done, of course, and Woodland's just wanged his drive at 14 into trees down the left. I doubt he'll have a path to the green from there, but we'll see. The mantle of His Hotness has been passed on to Jimenez, who has just birdied 14. Now he's -5 for the day, and -2 overall. He's too far behind, obviously, but imagine if Jimenez won a valedictory major after sniffing around for so long. Imagine the celebrations! Imagine the drinking game you could play along at home. You could wipe out an entire generation of college students by teaching them the rules of a Jimenez drinking game.
6.53pm BST
Woodland rolls his eagle putt up to the hole, the ball stopping a couple of turns short. He didn't really give that a chance, the vibe very much Birdie Will Do. And indeed it will, he's back to -2 for the tournament. Pars all in, and he'll be signing for a 68, which isn't the kind of special stuff we were talking about earlier, but then again nobody's bettered that score yet this week, so.
6.49pm BST
It's fair to say that Woodland is no longer in The Zone. He finds 13 in two, so he's got an eagle putt, but earlier he was peppering the flagsticks. Now he's 30 feet away, and even birdie's not a certainty. Meanwhile Jason Day continues to enjoy a revival. He's birdied both the par fives on the back nine, at 13 and 15, and he's bounced up to +1 for the tournament. Three pars and he'll be signing for a 69. There haven't been many sub-70 rounds this week. I make it 11, but I don't trust myself to do my own tax returns despite earning the number that comes directly after bugger all, so don't quote me on that.
6.43pm BST
Jimenez is showing Woodland the way. After a bogey at 12, he's picked up a shot at 13, and is back to -1 for the tournament, four under for his round. Meanwhile Lee Westwood, who might fancy this set-up today, has started brightly with a birdie at 2. He's -1 alongside a gaggle of players including the on-course Jimenez, Woodland and Snedeker.
6.40pm BST
Woodland appears to have lost the head a little bit. His caddy wants him to play the 13th in a steady fashion, but the player is adamant that he's going to boom a huge drive over the trees on the left, in an attempt to shave off the dogleg like Bubba's been doing. Woodland wins the argument, though the caddy implores his boss not to attempt to hit the cover off the ball. Woodland reluctantly agrees, but then goes ahead anyway. In fairness, he blooters a fantastic drive down the track, a very aggressive play that might pay dividends. He obviously wants to take something away from Amen Corner today.
6.37pm BST
Rory McIlroy ended the day with something of a flourish. Birdies at 15, 17 and 18 meant he reached the clubhouse today under par, signing for his second 71 of the week. He's +3 for the tournament, and must be ruing yesterday's comically poor putting display. Whether that 71's beaten Jeff Knox or not is another matter.
6.34pm BST
Rickie Fowler joins his playing partner Poulter, and Jimenez, on level par for the tournament with a birdie at 8. Augusta seems to be in the mood for giving up a few shots... but it's also prepared to angrily snatch them back. Woodland trundles his bogey putt five feet past the hole, and does very well to knock in the return effort. That's two more shots gone, and he's back to -1 for the tournament. Let's see how he responds to that, then.
6.32pm BST
God almighty, lord help me. Woodland flings a high wedge onto the green. Or not quite: the ball sits in the fringe, and considers toppling back down the bank and into the drink again. But it somehow stays up on top. Lucky boy, that would have been a killer. But this is still bad enough. Even if he gets up and down from here, it's double bogey. Amen Corner, ladies and gentleman, for your leisure and pleasure.
6.30pm BST
Woodland finds the water at 12! I knew I shouldn't have started droning on about 62s and 63s. The pin at 12 is a temptress, front left of the green, no sand in between the cup and the tee. It's begging to be shot at. And that's what Woodland does. Problem is, the bank back down to Rae's Creek is only a couple of yards in front of the flag, and any misjudgement... "Get up! Get up!" cry Woodland and his caddie in unison. But no. It hits the bank, and dribbles back into the water. This is a shame. He's currently standing by the Hogan Bridge, head hanging low, wondering where he's going to drop his ball to hit three into the green from 40 yards or so. I can't watch.
6.26pm BST
Proving that point, the two other hottest players on the course - Ian Poulter and Miguel Angel Jimenez - have both just dropped strokes. Jimenez sheds one at 12, Poults at 7. Still, there are birdies to be grabbed if players fancy rolling the dice. And here comes gambling man Brandt Snedeker, picking up a shot on the opening hole. He's -1 for the round, and the tournament.
6.23pm BST
Woodland's close enough to the putting surface for the putter to come out. There's not much fringe to navigate before he reaches the green. But it's a poor decision. He duffs the putt, the ball snagging up in the first cut and then squirting apologetically onto the dancefloor. It glides off to the left, still a good 12 feet short of the cup. It looks like this will be the first blemish on his card today. And that's what it is. He very nearly knocks in the par putt, the ball arcing on a lovely left-to-right curve and serenely making its way towards the hole, but it stays on the high side. Bogey. He's back to -6. How he reacts to this will be fascinating. A round for the ages is still not beyond the realms, if he accepts that going bogey-free around Augusta is a pipe dream even at the best of times.
6.17pm BST
On 11, Woodland splits the fairway, then sends a 7-iron straight over the flag. But there's not much in the way of green to play with, and the ball takes a leap off the back of the green. It's not far from the hole - the pin is tucked in the right-hand corner as you look down the fairway - but that's a tricky up and down nevertheless. But Woodland's not the only player making hay while the sun doesn't shine too hot. Poulter we've already mentioned. Miguel Angel Jimenez is a hole ahead of Woodland, having just vacated the 11th green, where he's picked up his second birdie on the bounce. He's -4 for the day, 11 holes through a blemish-free round, and is -1 for the tournament. All of this suggests there are scores out here today for the leaders if they want them - but of course much will depend on whether the greens get ever harder as the day wears on. The chasing pack will hope that's the case, and that the wind picks up too.
6.13pm BST
Woodland is seven under - -7! - for his round through 10 holes. Getting ahead of ourselves, but he only needs two more birdies and he'd tie the course record of 63, held by Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996). Pick up three more shots, and he's making major-championship history by becoming the first man ever to shoot 62 in one of golf's marquee events. A long way to go. But there are two par fives coming up which offer birdie and perhaps eagle chances to big hitters like Woodland. This is quite something.
6.07pm BST
Woodland rattles in his birdie putt. He's off for a trot around Amen Corner now, so it's probably only fair that we record his position for posterity, just in case:
-7: Watson
-4: Woodland (10), Senden
-3: Scott, Bjorn, Blixt, Scott, Spieth
6.05pm BST
Gary Woodland! That is all. He booms a drive down the right side of the 10th fairway, then eases a wedge to four feet! He'll have that to move to -4, and a share of second! This is an astonishing performance from the 29-year-old from Kansas. He's got a look of steely determination in his eyes, desperate to keep this hot streak going as long as he possibly can. Ian Poulter's doing his damnedest to follow Woodland's lead. Partial to the odd birdie charge on the final day of majors, he's clearly decided not to leave things so late this time, and has added to his birdie at 2 with others at 3 and 5. He's three under for his round through 6, and -1 for the tournament.
6.00pm BST
Another two birdies for Gary Woodland! It's a forest fire, as a certain erstwhile bass-playing golf correspondent of this paper would no doubt agree. I wonder if Woodland, before he teed off today, crossed himself as he put on his things? What he did do for sure, was very nearly replicate Louis Oosthuizen's albatross on 2 in 2012, bounce for bounce, but had to settle for a tap-in eagle. The latest shots have been picked up at 8 and 9, and he's reached the turn in 30 strokes! This is a stunning performance! He's -3 for the tournament! And he's now in range of the cameras, broadcasts during the early hours at Augusta restricted, because that's exactly how they like it. I think we'll keep an eye on him for a while, how's that for a plan? Don't it make you smile?
5.44pm BST
Here's Day coming up 10 now. And from the centre of the fairway, he's left his approach well short of the green. "That's bad, that's so bad," he says of the heavy contact. Chances are, he'll be giving the shot picked up at 9 straight back. But no! A stunning up and down from a terrible position miles below the hole, and he escapes with par. What mental equilibrium. Day's partner today, Joost Luiten, started appallingly, with bogeys at 1, 3 and 4. He's bottom of the pile here, 51st out of 51, at +7. Rory McIlroy will be happy someone's propping him up: out competing on his own, alongside marker and club member Jeff Knox, he's two over for his round and +6 for the tournament through 13. According to our man in Georgia, Andy Bull, Knox is "apparently giving McIlroy a schooling in how to play Augusta and is - I'm told - four up on him with five to play". That sounds about right: Knox holds the members' course record at Augusta (62) and has already seen off Sergio Garcia while marking his card in more ways than one. Though then again, who hasn't. Here's Andy's piece from last year on the great man (Knox, not Sergio).
5.31pm BST
Augusta as catwalk. Ian Poulter and Rickie Fowler, two gentlemen fine of thread and top of hat. There won't be a better dressed pairing out there today. They've both birdied 2, to move to +2. Jason Day is also in red numbers for his round, birdies at 2 and 9 cancelling out a blemish on the opening hole: he's at +3 for the tournament. It's not going to happen for Day this week, he's too soon back from injury. But it won't be long before he's lifting a major. He's already finished second and third here, and he had three top ten finishes in the majors last year. And he's still been better than two thirds of the field here with a dodgy wrist. What a popular winner he'll be when he finally lands one.
5.18pm BST
These entries appear to be summoning up some positive voodoo right now. Haas has just birdied 3, to move to level par for the tournament. The only other significant move of the morning has been made by Miguel Angel Jimenez: birdies at 3 and 5 have taken him to +1, where he remains through 7 holes.
5.15pm BST
Nice to see a decent early start for Bill Haas, who took badly to having led this tournament overnight yesterday. He followed up his brilliant opening round of 68 with a 78-stage nervous breakdown, and started the day well off the pace at +2. A birdie at 2 will hopefully have settled his nerves, and get him moving in the right direction today. This is the first time he's avoided bogeying the 1st, too, so all the omens are good for a better day for the son of Jay, who made it into the top five at Augusta five times between 1985 and 1995.
5.09pm BST
Woodland's not hanging about! Another shot picked up as I was wittering on there. A birdie at the par-three 6th, and he's -1 overall. Ten shots off the leader at the start of play, it'd be unprecedented behaviour were Woodland to win the Masters from his standing start, so how important this fast start is to the wider picture remains to be seen. But it certainly illustrates how easily a few players further up the leaderboard could make ground on Bubba. And if the conditions aren't favourable to the late starters... well, you never know. They don't call this Moving Day for nothing.
5.06pm BST
One of the early starters is showing the stragglers in the field that anything might be possible, if they get off to a flier in this third round. Big-hittin' Gary Woodland has yet to deliver on the early promise he showed when he broke through and won his first PGA Tour title back in 2011. But he's been pretty consistent this year, with four top-20 finishes since the turn of the year. And he's come wheeching out of the traps this morning, with a birdie at 1 followed by an eagle at the long par-five 2nd. All of a sudden, he's level par for the tournament, a mere seven shots off the lead, and with nearly half the tournament to make them up. A long shot, maybe, but then what's the point in trying if you don't aim for the stars? How he'll rue getting all knackered over the final holes of his 77 yesterday: pars instead of bogeys on the last four holes, and things would look very different now. He'd still be in the clubhouse waiting to tee off, admittedly, but you get the general gist.
4.59pm BST
OK, then, here we go.
3.32pm BST
Bubba's birdie blitz yesterday afternoon aside, it's been a slow burner, this 78th Masters Tournament. So far, anyway. Today could see the whole shebang go supernova, though, and here's why:
-7: Bubba
-4: Senden
-3: Bjorn, Blixt, Scott, Spieth
-2: Couples, Walker, Furyk
-1: Streelman, Gallacher, Henley, K Stadler, Donaldson
E: Glover, Kuchar, Oosthuizen, Fernandez-Castano, Westwood, Snedeker
+1: Stenson, Cink, Weir, Choi, Stricker
+2: Mize, Singh, Langer, Mahan, Rose, Bowditch, De Jonge, Poulter, Fowler, Haas, Olesen
+3: Watney, Jaidee, Goss, Molinari, Kirk, Kaymer, Horschel, Woodland, Jimenez
+4: Alexander Walter Barr Lyle, Olazabal, Clarke, Day, Luiten, McIlroy
Continue reading...