Live Updates | Smith has best round of day at tough Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Latest on the Masters (all times local):

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7 p.m.

Cameron Smith has posted the best round of the day in very difficult conditions at Augusta National.

The 28-year-old Australian shot a 4-under 68 that brought him within three strokes of leader Scottie Scheffler as he walked off the course.

Smith is at 6-under 210 through three rounds. Scheffler is at 9 under with two holes to play, having stumbled a bit with a stretch of three bogeys in four holes on the back side.

Smith’s performance is nothing unusual. In five previous Masters appearances, he had three top-10 showings — including a tie for the runner-up spot behind winner Dustin Johnson in 2020.

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6:25 p.m.

Scottie Scheffler has stumbled just a bit, but he’s still firmly in control as he approaches the end of the third round at the Masters.

Scheffler bogeyed both the 12th and 14th holes, sandwiched around a birdie at the par-5 13th, to leave him at 10 under for the tournament.

He still has a four-stroke lead over Cameron Smith, who is shooting the best round of the day at 4 under with the final hole to go.

Charl Schwartzel is six strokes behind, while 18-hole leader Sungjae Im and Shane Lowry are at 3 under.

Smith got as close as three shots off the lead, but Scheffler has maintained distance on the field throughout the day. The Texan came in with a five-stroke advantage after 36 holes.

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5:40 p.m.

Tiger Woods has posted his highest score ever at the Masters.

Finally showing the effects of a terrible car wreck that could’ve cost him his right leg, Woods shot a 6-over 78 in the third round to ruin any hope of making a run at a sixth green jacket.

It was a tough day for just about everyone, with temperatures struggling to get into the 50s (10 degrees Celsius) and plenty of wind.

But it was especially difficult for Woods, who had never shot a score higher than 77 at Augusta National. He’ll head to the final round at 7-over 223.

After two solid rounds of putting, Woods really struggled on the greens. He described it as having “zero feel.”

Still, it’s been an encouraging performance given all that Woods has been through. The Masters is his first competitive tournament in more than 500 days.

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5:15 p.m.

On a day when it’s been tough to go low, Scottie Scheffler is turning in another dominant performance at Augusta National.

Scheffler made the turn in the third round of the Masters with a 3-under 33, pushing him to 11 under for the tournament and keeping his lead at five strokes over Charl Schwartzel of South Africa.

Schwartzel is only that close because he holed out from the fairway at No. 10 for an eagle. Cameron Smith of Australia is another stroke back at 5 under.

How commanding has Scheffler been? Only seven players are within 10 shots of the leader, who hasn’t been bothered at all by the cool, windy conditions.

Scheffler already matched the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history with his five-stroke advantage.

The record for 54 holes is Tiger Woods’ nine-shot lead in 1997, when he won the first of his five green jackets.

Woods has no chance of winning his sixth. He’s 4 over for the day and a whopping 16 strokes behind Scheffler.

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4:50 p.m.

Scottie Scheffler began his day with a five-stroke lead at the Masters.

As the world’s top-ranked player approaches the midway point of the third round, he’s increased the margin to six shots.

Solid as can be, Scheffler posted four birdies and a single bogey over the first eight holes, pushing him to 11 under for the tournament.

Cameron Smith and Shane Lowry are his closest challengers, both at 5 under, with Charl Schwartzel another stroke back.

Tiger Woods hasn’t been able to mount a charge. He’s 2 over for the round and 14 shots behind the leader.

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3:40 p.m.

Scottie Scheffler is threatening to blow away the field at Augusta National.

Scheffler has started the third round with birdies at the second and third holes, pushing his score to 10-under par.

That give the world’s top-ranked player a six-stroke lead over Shane Lowry, with Cameron Smith and Charl Schwartzel another shot back.

In cool, windy conditions, all but 12 players are at least 10 shots behind the leader.

Tiger Woods is 3 over for the day and 14 strokes off of Scheffler, essentially eliminating any hope of a record-tying sixth green jacket.

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3:45 p.m.

Chasing his first major championship, Scottie Scheffler is looking to protect a big lead in the third round of the Masters.

The world’s top-ranked player built a five-shot advantage over the first two days.

That matches the biggest 36-hole lead in Augusta National history. Four of the five who did it previously went on to capture the green jacket.

The 25-year-old Scheffler made a comfortable par at the first hole and he’s still five shots clear of the field. No one is making much of a move on a cool, windy day at the Masters.

First-round leader Sungjae Im started off with a double bogey to drop seven shots behind Scheffler.

Tiger Woods also has slipped from serious contention. He four-putted No. 5 for a double bogey and made the turn at 3 over for the day and a daunting 12 shots off the lead.

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2:20 p.m.

A big stumble for Tiger Woods at the Masters.

Woods four-putted the tough fifth hole at Augusta National for a double bogey. That dropped him 11 shots off the lead before Scottie Scheffler even teed off.

Woods’ putter was a big asset over the first two days, but he had a three-putt at No. 1 for a bogey Saturday. Then came major trouble at No. 5.

An errant approach left Woods on the green 65 feet from the pin. He putted up a ridge to within 6 feet of the cup, only to need three more putts to get down.

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1:55 p.m.

With the leaders waiting to tee off, no one is making much of a move on Moving Day at the Masters.

The cool, windy conditions are preventing anyone from going real low.

Only a handful of players are below par in the third round, led by Viktor Hovland at 2 under with four holes to play.

Tiger Woods is even through his first four holes after bogeying No. 1 and bouncing back with a birdie at the par-5 second.

Scottie Scheffler came into the day with a record-tying five-stroke lead through 36 holes. Woods is nine shots back.

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1 p.m.

Tiger Woods has teed off in the third round of the Masters, looking to slice into a nine-stroke deficit between him and 36-hole leader Scottie Scheffler.

In his first official tournament since a horrific car crash nearly 14 months ago, Woods made his 22nd consecutive cut at Augusta National.

Winning a sixth green jacket will be much more difficult.

Woods begins the round with a 1-over 145 score. Scheffler is at 8 under, five shots clear of the field and matching the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history.

Only one player who previously built such a big margin at the halfway point failed to go on to win the green jacket.

Even so, Woods believes he still has a shot in the difficult conditions.

“It’s going to be quick, and I need to go out there and put myself there,” he said “If you’re within five or six on that back nine going into Sunday, you’ve got a chance. So I just need to get there.”

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12:35 p.m.

It looks like a tough day for going low at Augusta National.

With unseasonably cool temperatures and a stiff breeze whipping across the course, par will likely be a good score in the third round of the Masters.

Half the field has teed off so far. Si Woo Kim made an eagle at No. 2 to get back to even par overall, but only three other players are below par in the early stages of the round.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at 2:50 p.m. EDT, having a built a record-tying five-stroke lead through 36 holes.

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11:05 a.m.

The Masters winner gets a gold medal, a green jacket, a lifetime invitation back to Augusta National and a sterling silver trophy.

And this year, more money than anyone has ever won at the Masters.

Augusta National announced Saturday that the winner of this year’s tournament gets $2.7 million out of a total purse of $15 million. Both are tournament records.

It’s about a 30% increase over last year, when Hideki Matsuyama got $2.07 million from a purse of $11.5 million.

In terms of total dollars, it’s by far the biggest one-year increase in Masters history. Percentage-wise, the tournament saw a bigger jump from 1982 to 1983, when the purse and winner’s share both increased about 40%. The winner in 1982 got $64,000; the winner in 1983 got $90,000.

The Masters purse and first-place check now match what is offered at the first two stops of the FedEx Cup Playoffs — the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship.

If Tiger Woods finishes eighth or better, he’ll eclipse $10 million in career Masters earnings alone. A solo eighth finish would pay $465,000. Woods entered this week with $9,556,069 won in his Masters career, by far the most in tournament history.

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10:30 a.m.

It is sunny, it is chilly and the third round of the Masters has started at Augusta National.

The temperature was in the low 50’s when play got underway for the day on Saturday, unseasonably cool. But the rain from earlier in the week is long gone, with puffy clouds the only thing blocking the view of blue sky over the Masters.

Scottie Scheffler has a five-shot lead going into the third round. He doesn’t tee off until 2:50 p.m. and will play with Charl Schwartzel.

Tiger Woods is nine shots back to start the day. He tees off at 1 p.m.

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