Live Commentary: The Masters: Day three - as it happened

Good evening! Welcome to Sports Mole for live coverage of the third round of the Masters at Augusta.

Big news already today, as I'm sure you've all heard. Tiger Woods has just teed off his third round having escaped disqualification for an illegal drop at the 15th yesterday. He has already birdied the first hole!

Two men have made the most of their early rounds at Augusta today. They are Tim Clark (-3) and Nick Watney (-2). Both players are five-under for their rounds today.

LEADERBOARD: -6 Day; -5 Couples, Leishman; -4 Furyk, Snedeker, Cabrera; -3 Clarke, Kuchar, Rose, Lynn, Westwood, Scott, Dufner; -2 Watney, Stricker, McIlroy, Langer, Woods, Choi; -1 Jacobson, Els, Van Pelt, Fowler, Donald, D. Johnson, Senden, Garcia, Fernandez-Castano

Tiger Woods has been tweeting regarding the incident: "At hole 15, I took a drop that I thought was correct and in accordance with the rules. I was unaware at that time I had violated any rules. I didn’t know I had taken an incorrect drop prior to signing my scorecard. Subsequently, I met with the Masters Committee Saturday morning and was advised they had reviewed the incident prior to the completion of my round. Their initial determination was that there was no violation, but they had additional concerns based on my post-round interview. After discussing the situationwith them this morning, I was assessed a two-shot penalty. I understand and accept the penalty and respect the Committees’ decision."

This is what he said in that now-infamous post-round interview: "I looked over the drop area, it wasn't very good. I went back to where I was, and took two yards further back, and I tried to take two yards off what I hit it before."

Masters officials have released a statement: "Yesterday afternoon, the Rules Committee was made aware of a possible Rules violation that involved a drop by Tiger Woods on the 15th hole.


"After being prompted by a television viewer, the Rules Committee reviewed a video of the shot while he was playing the 18th hole. At that moment and based on that evidence, the Committee determined he had complied with the Rules."

Continued: "After he signed his scorecard, and in a television interview subsequent to the round, the player stated that he played further from the point than where he had played his third shot. Such action would constitute playing from the wrong place.


"The subsequent information provided by the player’s interview after he had completed play warranted further review and discussion with him this morning. After meeting with the player, it was determined that he had violated Rule 26, and he was assessed a two stroke penalty. The penalty of disqualification was waived by the Committee under Rule 33 as the Committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player’s round."

So it has been a trial by TV. Personally, I don't believe that he was there was any cheating going on, as he spoke of the incident unwittingly in his post-round interview. But that does not mean that he should have been disqualified. Everyone will have their own opinion, and some believe that the rules have been bent because of TV ratings.

Needless to say, it has divided opinion and could potentially overshadow what promises to be a fantastic weekend at Augusta.

Nick Faldo has been vociferous with his opinion on the situation. He told the Golf Channel: "For me, this is dreadful. Absolutely, no intention to drop [the ball] as close as possible. Simply, a breach of rules. The rules of golf are black and white and Tiger broke them. He’s admitted he broke them. He should stand up and earn himself some brownie points and say to all his fellow professionals: 'I’ve broken the rules, I’m going home and I will see you next week'. He should consider the mark this will leave on his legacy."

Ironically, when Tiger was asked about the one-shot penalty given to Guan Tianlang, he replied: "Rules are rules." - No doubt those words will be echoed for years to come if Bubba Watson is slipping the green jacket over his shoulders on Sunday.

BIRDIES! McIlroy and Langer have both joined the group of three-under par with birdies at the third hole.

Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old Chinese sensation and only amateur left in the field has finished his round for today, signing for a 77 to leave him on nine-over for the championship. It's been a great week for the youngest player ever to tee it up at Augusta.

Matt Kuchar is currently three-under through eight and he sits on four-under for the championship. He wouldn't be a bad shout to be challenging come the back nine tomorrow. Not a bad shout at all.

Cabrera (-4) and Leishman (-5) will be next to tee off in the penultimate group. They'll be followed by Couples (-5) and Day (-6).

BOGEY! Public enemy number one Tiger Woods has given a shot back at the fourth and moves back down to one-under par.

BOGEY! Bernhard Langer has also dropped a shot at the fifth and he slips back down to two-under.

Tim Clark (-4) is currently six-under for today's round, but has a tricky pitch to save par at the last hole. It's been a sterling round from the South African, who has a chance to post the lowest score of the tournament so far.

PARS! Leishman (-5) and Cabrera (-4) have both parred the first hole.

BOGEYS! McIlroy finds the greenside bunker at the seventh, but cannot get his recovery out of the trap. He does better with his second effort, landing it yards from the pin before tapping in. Rose has also dropped a shot at the par-three fourth to move down to three-under par.

Fernandez-Castano stiffs his tee shot at the par-three sixth right next to the pin, but Woods cannot follow his lead and hits the back of the green, miles from the cup.

BOGEY! Clark cannot make his 66 as he drops a shot at the last hole. Unfortunate for the South African, who played superbly around Augusta today.

Tim Clark has been speaking to Sky Sports News following his round: "I've been playing well all week, but yesterday I struggled on the greens. I came back today and tried to get it going. If you play well you can shoot a number out here. There were a couple of times I could only make it to 20 feet [from the hole], but I made a couple of those."

Click here for some news from Clark's round, as well as something on Nick Watney's 68.

PAR! Adam Scott, not normally a clutch putter, saves par by rolling in nicely from over 10 feet. He is on four-under for the championship.

No signs of jitters from leader Jason Day (-6) at the second, as he finds the green and will have a putt for birdie.

TIED AT THE TOP! Leishman makes birdie to join his compatriot at the top of the leaderboard on six-under par. He's not wavered, this guy. So far, anyway...

Westwood (-2) judges a putt to near perfection a long way from the cup at the fifth and he should make par from there.

BIRDIE! Dufner moves up to four-under by picking up a shot at the fourth.

BIRDIE! Cabrera birdies the third and he is back up the four-under par following a bogey six at the second.

BIRDIE! Players are picking up shots all over the course now, although it seems to be happening in waves. Bogeys and all. This time Woods gets moving back in the right direction by picking up a shot at the seventh to move to two-under.

David Lynn has dropped three shots in the first four holes and he has slipped down to even par.

LEADERBOARD: -6 Leishman, Day; -5 Couples; -4 Scott, Dufner, Snedeker, Cabrera; -3 Clark, Kuchar, Fernandez-Castano, Rose; -2 Furyk, Fowler, McIlroy, Langer, Westwood, Woods

BOGEY! Oh no, McIlroy's (-1) chip at the ninth pin is short and runs right off the green. He can't seem to get and sustained forward momentum at the moment. His par putt drifts to the left, as he didn't give it enough break.

BOGEY! Leishman puts too much on his par putt at the fourth and he drops a shot to leave Jason Day as the sole leader once more.

See what I'm telling you about the waves of birdies, bogeys, birdies, bogeys? Watch this space. Or preferably the ones above as I continues to post. That would probably be better advice.

Rory McIlroy hits a lovely tee shot at the 10th, where it all went wrong for him during his infamous final-round meltdown two years ago.

Superb shot from Woods (-2) at the eighth, as he pitches delicately to leave himself with an excellent chance of a birdie.

WOBBLING! Leishman has found the bunker at the fourth, but has given himself a reasonable chance of a save. Work to do.

SOLID! Day has parred the opening four holes and has made a steady start to his third round. He's at the top on six-under. Leishman briefly joined him but could well find himself two shots back as he needs to save par at the fourth.

MISS! Woods misses his birdie putt at the eighth. The ball wiped its feet before lipping out. It has been far from vintage Tiger so far, especially considering that we're used to seeing him at his best when his back is against the wall. He stays on two-under par.

BOGEY! Leishman does indeed drop another shot at the fourth and falls to four-under par. He needs to stop the rot at the fifth.

Adam Scott (-4) lands safely on the green at the seventh but is a long distance from the cup. He's going well on one-under for the day.

PARS! Lovely putt from McIlroy (-1) at the 10th, as he lags one from some distance to within inches of the hole. He makes par, but Rose's (-2) birdie putt was not so good, as his putter still seems to be misfiring. He remains one-over for the day.

A poor tee shot from Woods has left him scrambling for par at the ninth. A decent pitch leaves him around 10 feet from the pin, but he's not shown the steely resolve that was evident yesterday.

BIRDIE! Cabrera moves to within one shot of the lead with a birdie at the sixth. The Argentine has won here before and looks like he's warming up nicely in this third round!

MISS! Tiger was making these putts yesterday, but they're just not dropping. Can we question his mental fragility? Is that the case? Or is it just 'one of them days'? He's back down to one-under with the back nine to play.

Fernandez-Castano (-4) sunk a superb putt at the ninth before Tiger missed his to move within two shots of the lead. He's two-under for his round today and going great guns after dropping an early shot.

PARS! The last group of Couples and Day are still going steady with pars at the fifth. Neither have dropped or picked up any shots so far. There's movement up and down the leaderboard, but nobody is breaking away. It's all a bit nervy at the moment.

LEADERBOARD: -6 Day; -5 Couples, Cabrera; -4 Leishman, Kuchar, Scott, Dufner, Snedeker, Fernandez-Castano; -3 Furyk Clark; -2 Rose, Fowler, Langer, Stricker, Choi; -1 Watney, McIlroy, Westwood, Van Pelt, Senden, Woods, Garcia

Woods leaves himself with a monster putt at the 10th hole now. He'll do well to save par considering how he's played so far. And the last thing he needs heading into Amen Corner is another dropped shot.

PARS! The par train rolls on for Couples and Day at the sixth. Solid, if unspectacular golf, but they won't be complaining.

BIRDIES! Leishman grabs a shot back at the seventh. He held his nerve well to drop that one and maybe he can get something going now. He is joined on five-under par by Jason Dufner, who sinks his opportunity at the eighth. No hint of 'Dufnering' just yet...

SO CLOSE! Fernandez-Castano (-4) nearly drops one for birdie at the 10th, but it lags agonisingly wide of the hole. Unlucky!

BOGEY! Kuchar gives away a shot at the 14th and drops back to three-under.

PAR! Woods got his par putt to within a couple of feet, but was still left with a testing down-hiller. However, he held his nerve to sink it and remain under par.

IN THE DRINK! McIlroy (+2) finds the water with his second shot at the 11th. He takes a drop and lands on the green, but will drop at least one shot. It's all gone wrong for the Northern Irishman today. Similar to his story of last year.

Rose finds the green for a birdie putt at the 10th. It's an awkward one, though.

PAR! Snedeker (-4), like Couples and Day, has parred every hole so far. He's through eight.

BIRDIE! Meanwhile, his playing partner Furyk picks up a shot tojoin him on four-under par. It all went wrong for the American at the 15th yesterday, but he is moving in the right direction now.

Fernandez-Castano punches out from the trees at the 11th and finds the green. Very good shot from the Spaniard, who is looking very much the dark horse at the moment. Time will tell if he can keep this up.

BOGEY! Dufner's (-4) tee shot forced him into a penalty drop and his par putt at the ninth missed to the right. He kept his concentration to hole for a bogey five, meaning that he drops just the one shot.

DOUBLE BOGEY! A good round sours for Couples, as a double at the seventh sees him slip to three-under par. He bogeyed this hole yesterday and has been flawless since then, but that's a big chunk of his score wiped out.

TIED AT THE TOP! Cabrera makes another birdie at the eighth and he joins Day at the top of the leaderboard on six-under.

MORE COMPANY AT THE TOP! Leishman makes it back-to-back birdies at the eighth to regain a foothold at the top of the leaderboard. Remember, he's playing with Cabrera so that's quite a tussle at the moment. The Argentine is playing one shot better than him on today's round with a score of two-under so far.

McIlroy's (+2) birdie putt at the 13 drifts past the hole and nothing is going right for him. Scott goes to the right with his tee shot at the 10th, but still finds himself in a decent position. If you're going to miss the fairway at ten, miss it to the right.

BOGEY! Commentator's curse, as Fernandez-Castano (-3) drops a shot at the 11th.

Day has some work to do at the par-five eighth. He is wide of the green, but a good pitch can still give him a chance of birdie. It's a difficult one though, and his gold has been more solid than spectacular so far.

Super shot at the 12th from Fernandez-Castano (-3). Billy Foster said this morning that you always need to aim at the centre of the green at twelve, and with the hole cut in the middle of the dancefloor it is playing a bit easier today. Still tough though with the swirling wind. Decent chance of a birdie for the Spaniard.

Woods has also given himself a chance, but he is past the hole and will have a downhill putt slightly into the grain.

BIRDIE! Three birdies in four holes gets Stricker to four-under par through 16 holes. Amazing, considering that he was five-over at one point on Thursday. He's playing himself right into contention.

BIRDIE! Couples (-4) gets one of the dropped shots back at the eighth. Great response.

PAR! Rose (-2) cannot make his birdie putt at the 11th. It was a tricky one, but he is yet to make a hard putt all week.

BIRDIE! Woods (-1) now picks up a shot at the 12th. Could that be the change in momentum he needs? Or is it a false dawn?

PAR! Fernandez-Castano couldn't follow Woods into the cup and he stays on three-under. His tee shot at the 13th is way off the fairway and is somewhere in between the spectators and the McIlroy huts. FORE!

BUNKERED! Drat and double drat for Rose, as he finds the near-side bunker at the par-three 12th. His pitch out finds the back bunker. Bad news. He's currently two-under but will be dropping a shot bar a miraculous shot.

PAR! Matt Kuchar (-4) holes a 12-foot tester for par at the 17th.

Cabrera is playing lovely golf. He finds the green at the 10th, but as per usual with this hole today, the hilly green will make it difficult for him to pick up a shot.

Westwood hits the middle of the green at the 12th.

Scott (-3) plays a great approach into the 11th green, which has dried out since this morning. If it had been softer, then we'd be talking definite birdie opportunity. As it is, he's left with a long one.

IN THE DRINK! Dufner (-4) finds the water at eleven with his second shot. He'll be dropping another shot.

PARS! Day and Leishman are both finding the pars, although Day is yet to make birdie today. He is also yet to drop a shot. Both men are on six-under.

BOGEY! Couples drops a shot at the ninth to fall back down to three-under.

PARS! Westwood (-2) and Scott (-3) both leave their bidie putts right on the edge of the hole. So unlucky.

NEW LEADER! Angel Cabrera is the man who takes the baton with a superb arching downhill putt at the tenth to get to seven-under par. What a round this has been from the Argentine, who looks in a class of his own at the moment. Other players have played well in fits and starts, but he has been consistently great. How can he play the rest of the back nine?

Woods has a decent chance of a birdie, and after his 13th hole is decided I will provide you with an updated leaderboard.

Fred Couple gives himself a chance to immediately grab a shot back once more at the tenth. He is pin-high, and that is probably the best approach of the day at that testing hole.

BIRDIE! Woods birdies the 13th hole! He is up to two-under now having picked up two shots since the turn. Forward momentum from the number one, who has struggled for large parts, if not all, of this afternoon.

LEADERBOARD: -7 Cabrera; -6 Day, Leishman; -4 Kuchar, Snedeker, Stricker; -3 Scott, Furyk, Clark; -2 Dufner, Fernandez-Castano, Fowler, Langer, Westwood, Woods, Choi; -1 Watney, Van Pelt

BIRDIE! For the second time today, Couples immediately gets a shot back after dropping at the previous hole. He's back up to four-under after an up-and-down couple of holes.

PAR! Day makes it 10-straight pars for his third round. Steady, steady.

CLUBHOUSE LEADER! Kuchar signs for a three-under 69 to take the clubhouse lead on four-under par for the championship.

IN THE WATER! Westwood flirted with Rae's Creek with his second shot at the 13th hole yesterday, and was saved only by a fortuitous bounce of a sprinkler head. However, this time he is right in there and will need a drop.

ALSO GOING SWIMMING! Leishman dunks his ball in the water at 11th, a la Dufner.

It's been a poor round for McIlroy, who seems to unravel around this course at the slightest opportunity. He's very much a golfer who needs to get on a run and struggles to keep it together when things aren't going his way. He triple bogeyed the 11th and has now shot a double at the 15th to leave himself on five-over par.

BOGEY! It's just the one shot dropped for Leishman, who found the water at 11. He is now on five-under par, two shots off the leader Angel Cabrera and one behind his countryman Jason Day.

Cabrera finds the front bunker at the 12th. It's a difficult pitch out from there. Ideally, if you want to miss the green on 12, you want to go long. Says the man sitting here blogging all of this for you.

DOUBLE BOGEY! Oh dear, oh dear! Stricker makes a mess of the final hole to finish on two-under. It looked like it would just be the one shot dropped when he chipped close to the pin after missing the green, but he missed a short one and that's rather spoiled his round.

Tiger, back at the 15th, where all this morning;s controversy stemmed from, stiffs his iron underneath the pin to leave himself with a great chance of advancing up the leaderboard.

Cabrera got a bit of good fortune and just avoided the bunker. He was still left with a tricky chip, but did well to get it just over five feet.

APOLOGIES! Cabrera actually hit the face of the bunker,which left him with that chip from the rough. So he's dropped a shot and falls back to six-under with Day, who has made 11-straight pars.

SO CLOSE! Woods sends his Eagle putt on its way... but it just misses to the left! Still, he makes birdie to get to three-under. After a less-than-spectacular day and a two-shot penalty, the world number one is well in contention. At time you think his name is written on the trophy, at other you think the golfing Gods are conspiring against him. only time will tell...

Here's some news on Matt Kuchar's three-under round, which puts him well in contention on four-under for tomorrow's final round.

Woods comes up short of the green at 16.

BIRDIE! Scott joins the group two strokes off the lead of four-under with a birdie at the 13th.

Cabrera's found trouble on the 13th. He'll be pitching sideways with a massive tree in his way. So even he is having a little stutter. He does well to get it back in play though.

BIRDIE! Snedeker is sneaking up the board! He makes birdie at 13 to get to five-under par. Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey.

PAR! Jason Day makes his 12th-straight par. I bet he couldn't have imagined doing that and still holding onto a share of the lead. Probably a testament to how difficult conditions are, with the greens playing extremely fast. Nerves are also playing a part as well, though.

BIRDIE! Justin Rose gets back to two-under par with a birdie at the 15th. If he can get another one or two then that'll turn a very average round into an extremely pleasing one.

Day's tee shot at the par-four 13th isn't the best and he'll have a difficult approach to the green. He's been solid though, so there's no reason he can't make par. Don't think he'll be making birdie with quite a big draw needed to negotiate the trees.

BOGEY! Cabrera (-5) had the chance to save par after needing to pitch out from the trees at 13, but he pushed his short putt wide and drops out of the lead. It's all Australian at the top with Day and Leishman, who has just birdied the same hole. A one-shot swap around.

Great shot from Day to make the green in two! I take back what I said, Sir, as you now have two putts for a birdie on the par-five 13th. That for the outright lead... or could he drain a monster for eagle?!

Once Day has finished the 13th, I'll give you the updated leaderboard.

BOGEY! Rose drops to one-under with a bogey at 16.

Day leaves his eagle putt four feet from the hole, so he has a good chance of a birdie at the 13th.

BIRDIES! Day does make his birdie to break a run of 12-straight pars. He now moves into the outright lead, while Couples makes a birdie to get to five-under.

TWO-SHOT SWING! Leishman leaves his par putt at the 14th out to the right and all of a sudden Day is two clear at the top of the leaderboard!

LEADERBOARD: -7 Day; -5 Leishman, Couples, Scott, Snedeker, Cabrera; -4 Kuchar; -3 Clark, Woods; -2 Furyk, Fernandez-Castano, Fowler, Langer, Westwood, Stricker; -1 Dufner, Rose, Watney, Van Pelt, Garcia

Three Australians are in with a decent shout of becoming the first of their country to don the green jacket. Barring a disaster over the closing holes, which is never out of the question at Augusta. She can be a cruel mistress.

Woods finishes short of the green with his second shot at the 18th. He'll be looking to get it close in order to save par and get to the end of a tiring day on three-under. Which would be good for him.

PAR! Woods left himself 10 foot for par and he rolled it into the centre of the cup. An assured final stroke indeed. As things stand, he is four shots off the lead and well in with a shout with his famous red shirt on tomorrow. However, Day has looked very solid today and has played patiently. Unwavering out in front.

TIED FOR THE LEAD! Snedeker dials in his tee shot at the par-three 16th and taps in for birdie. He is a supreme putter and that was not really a challenge for him. He is many people's pick for this tournament and he joins Day at the top of the leaderboard!

Of course, Tiger is well in with a shout tomorrow, but the way Snedeker and Day have played today shows that there is great hope for both. They have been solid. Woods is capable of being erratic, but as we also know, he is capable of sheer brilliance that others just aren't. His presence can also be a factor.

LEADERBOARD: -7 Day, Snedeker; -6 Scott; -5 Leishman, Cabrera; -4 Couples, Kuchar; -3 Clark, Woods; -2 Furyk, Fowler, Westwood, Langer, Stricker -1 Fernandez-Castano, Watney, Van Pelt, Garcia

BIRDIE! Leishman jumps to six-under with a birdie at 16!

Day has a difficult shot into the green at 15, but once again he shows his mettle by hitting and staying on the green. Well played.

PAR! Westwood saves at the last hole to stay on two-under par. He is five shots off the lead as it stands and in contention for tomorrow.

Snedeker's tee shot at 18 goes way right and it looks like he could be in trouble.

PAR! Adam Scott finishes with a par at 18 to end on six-under for the tournament, just one off current leaders Snedeker and Day.

PAR! Cabrera sinks a par putt to stay on six-under heading to the last hole.

PAR! Snedeker finishes with a solid par at the last to finish on seven-under par, tied for the lead with Jason Day.

PAR! Furyk cards a 74 to finish on two-under par for the championship.

For more news on the rounds of Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods, you can click here.

So it's just the final two groups left on the course now. Day is joint-leader on seven-under par, while Cabrera (-6) and Leishman (-5) follow. Couples has dropped to three-under par.

Jason Day has a good angle into the 17th green. He can't take full advantage, though, but lands safely in the heart of the green.

PAR! Leishman finishes with par to leave himself on five-under heading into tomorrow's final round. Cabrera has a decent chance of a birdie which would see him tie the lead...

BIRDIE! And that's just what he does! He joins Snedeker in the clubhouse on seven-under, while Day is on the same score but curently on the 17th green.

We're left with the final group on the 17th green now. Day (-7) can still go into tomorrow leading outright if he can birdie either of these final two holes.

MISS! Oh no! Jason Day, who has not dropped a shot all day, misses a tiddler to drop out of the lead on the 17th! Oh dear, oh dear.

Day finds the fairway with his drive at 18. Couples is also in a good position having split the fairway. Big second shot coming for Day here. If he can get close and make birdie, super. If he can make par, I'm sure he'd take that too. Dropping another shot now would just be gut-wrenching.

For news of the rounds of Angel Cabrera, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman, you can click here.

Well, Day won't be tying the lead, barring a miraculous putt. Sensible shot, though. He has two putts for a place in the second-to-last group tomorrow. He could well be paired with his playing partner for the final round of the 2011 Masters, Adam Scott. Both men finished joint-runners-up to Charl Schwartzel on that occasion. The South African became the only man to birdie the last four holes to win the green jacket.

Couples (E) plays a lovely bunker shot to leave himself a couple of feet for par. His round has unraveled dramatically, aided (or not) by a seven on at the 17th. Now, what can Day do?

MISS! Day's putt is on its way and it drifts past the hole to the left. He now has a testing putt for his par. Another dropped shot really would be galling.

BOGEY! Well that's such a disappointing finish for the Australian, who was solid as a rock until the final two holes, where he has dropped two shots to fall two shots off the leaders Snedeker and Cabrera (-7).

PAR! Couples tidies up his par for a five-over round of 77, which leaves him even par for the championship.

LEADERBOARD: -7 Cabrera, Snedeker; -6 Scott; -5 Leishman, Day; -4 Kuchar; -3 Clark, Woods; -2 Furyk, Fowler, Westwood, Langer, Stricker -1 Fernandez-Castano, Watney, Van Pelt, Garcia; EVEN Couples, Dufner, Rose, Olesen, Z. Johnson

So it changes round at the top late on, as Day tensed up - especially with his second putt on 18 for par. The final group tomorrow will be Snedeker and Cabrera and, personally, I think that the American will be wearing green by the end of the day. But that's just me, there realistically eight, possibly 13 players within real striking distance. I think anyone from two-under upwards (five shots) will feel they have a chance.

We're at the end of our coverage of the third day at Augusta, but tomorrow is the big one. Tomorrow, the 2013 Masters champion will be crowned. Join us from the earlier time of 6pm for all the action. See you then...