Record round evades Woods

The greatest round in major championship history – all 145 years of it - slipped from Tiger Woods’ grasp at Augusta today.

But turning a four-stroke deficit into a three-stroke lead going into the final round of the Masters was enough to keep Woods a very contented man as he prepared for the last lap.

The three-time champion equalled two records and set another with his seven successive birdies from the seventh to the 13th.

He also matched his lowest-ever round on the course with a seven-under-par 65. But he may never get a better chance to score the first-ever 62 in major golf.

As overnight leader Chris DiMarco dramatically collapsed to an inward 41 and a round of 74, Woods needed only one birdie and four pars over the closing stretch to beat the 20 rounds of 63 achieved in the Masters, US Open and USPGA Championship.

Instead, however, he three-putted the 14th, took a bogey six on the long 15th and parred the last three.

Woods insisted the thought of a 62 – or something even lower – never entered his mind.

“You don’t think that way,” he said, repeating the one-shot-at-a-time mantra essential to success at the top level.

As for his position – 11 under against DiMarco’s eight under after they had begun the back nine at 8am nine under and 13 under respectively – Woods added: “It was a nice turnaround.

“Realistically I didn’t think Chris would play the back nine like he did.”

DiMarco, who shot a closing 76 last year after sharing the 54-hole lead with Phil Mickelson, had not had a bogey for 44 holes when he resumed on the 10th tee.

That was the second longest run in the Masters without dropping a shot - Stuart Appleby went 50 holes – but things turned against him instantly.

First Woods, playing in front of him, hit a six-iron to 10 feet and made it four birdies in a row. Then DiMarco splayed his second low and right into a bush, took a penalty drop and double-bogeyed.

The gap was back to one and when Woods rolled in a 15-footer on the next there was no gap.

The 1997, 2001 and 2002 champion had grabbed the momentum and nobody uses it better. He followed with a seven-foot putt at the 12th and then, having been fortunate in the trees on the 11th, had an enormous break on the next.

His five-iron was heading for Rae’s Creek, but landed a few feet short of it and, unlike with playing partner David Howell, the ball stopped.

Woods chipped to seven feet and when the putt dropped he had not only equalled Steve Pate’s seven birdies in a row over the same stretch in 1999 but had also set a new mark of 16 birdies in two consecutive rounds and matched the record of 19 in three rounds.

Then, however, came the two bogeys. The 14th is one of the hardest greens on the course, he caught the wrong slope and from 60 feet he sent his birdie attempt 14 feet past and missed the return.

Looking to make amends – and re-ignite hopes of the 62 – he pushed his drive down the 500-yard 15th into the trees when the ball headed towards the water and was never seen again.

A penalty drop, a pitch over the green and a bogey six resulted. Now it was all about his position in the tournament again.

There was time, though, to equal another record – one he set en-route to his 12-stroke victory eight years ago. Middle rounds of 66 and 65.

The Augusta course record of 63 remains in the hands of Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996).