Augusta - 9-12 April, 2009
After nearly leaving the tournament on day two - for kicking the sand of a bunker his ball lay in - Rory McIlroy gets the first birdie of day three at hole two and moves to even par overall, still there by the clubhouse
Ross Fisher, three-under on Thursday, four-over on Friday, begins the third round with a double bogey before rescuing a shot at hole three
The day's early pace is set by Ryuji Imada of Japan, two-under par after eight holes but bogeys at 12 and 13 take him back to even for the day, 10 shots off the lead by the clubhouse
Miguel Angel Jimenez starts well with two birdies in the first four holes but hits a round of 78 as North and South Americans continue to dominate at Augusta
Ahead of Jimenez, one-under for the round, is Camilo Villegas. The Colombian hits birdies on two and three but drops a shot at 11 to take him to three-under overall
Padraig Harrington, another European hope and in pursuit of a third major win in a row, takes nine at the par-five second hole, is out in 37 but still finishes one-over on the day, seemingly out of contention
Tiger Woods, the man many would have thought Harrington would be fighting for the title, opens a long way from the lead with a double bogey but finishes with 70, four-under overall and joint ninth place
The lone Australian Geoff Ogilvy joins Villegas and first-round big-hitters Shingo Katayama, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan on four-under overall but cards bogeys at six and seven on his drop all the way to tying for 22nd place
Sergio Garcia may well grimace at the second green as he misses a birdie putt to cancel a bogey at the first, one of four over-par holes on a round that sees the Spaniard tumble down the leaderboard
Ian Poulter cards an "amazing" 68, four-under overall, as is compatriot Lee Westwood, home in 70. From out of nowhere the two are the leading Europeans at Augusta
The overnight leaders Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry hit birdies at the second hole, sending them both two shots clear of third place early on
Perry takes the overall lead with a birdie at the par-three fourth, Campbell catches him at the eight hole, neither player dropping a shot on the front nine, before Perry birdies two and bogeys two on holes 10-13
But Angel Cabrera is breathing down the leaders' necks as he overcomes an opening hole bogey with three birdies to move within a shot of the lead, one stroke in front of nine-under Jim Furyk
Furyk builds a steady round of 68 including two two-shot holes, a wonder chip at 15, and an unlucky bogey at 17, finishing eight-under overall
Cabrera, playing a hole ahead of the leading pair, drops back to nine-under at 14, just as Perry birdies the 13th, but picks up two more shots and plays well out of the trees on 18 before reaching the clubhouse
While Perry's score fluctuates Campbell hits a run of pars until his tee shot on the par-three 16th finds the sand and the Texan takes four more strokes to find the hole, finishing his round nine-under par
Perry pars the last five holes of the day to finish 11-under overall, tying with Angel Cabrera, with Campbell, Furyk and Steve Stricker in the chasing pack
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