Tiger Woods gave himself the chance to stage the third biggest last-day comeback in Masters history as he dazzled while Rory McIlroy struggled early on.
Seven behind the 21-year-old Northern Irishman when he resumed, Woods went to the turn in a fantastic five-under-par 31 that was only one off the tournament record.
And with McIlroy bogeying the first and fifth in a nightmare opening, the pair were level on 10-under-par - and they had South African Charl Schwartzel alongside them after he chipped in at the first and pitched in for eagle at the third.
So if anybody thought McIlroy was in an unassailable position when he teed off four clear of the field they were quickly made to think again. McIlroy three-putted the first for bogey, struggled hard for a par five on the next after going in two bunkers and then missed from three feet for a five at the 455-yard fifth.
Woods had teed off an hour earlier, but after making four at the long second he pitched to three feet on the next - not as good as Schwartzel, but still pretty good.
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A three-putt bogey on the short fourth appeared a bogey he could ill-afford, but then came further birdies at the sixth and seventh, both from eight feet, and on the uphill 570-yard eighth he moved into overdrive.
His second shot ran up to 10 feet and in went the eagle putt before he salvaged a miraculous par at the next, going from pine straw in the trees to a greenside bunker and holing from 15 feet. And all this, of course, after 17 months and 20 events without a victory as he dropped from world number one to seventh in the rankings.
Luke Donald was in the hunt too, making birdie at the second and responding to a bogey at the seventh with a four on the eighth to be only two behind and joint fifth.
Fellow Englishman Ross Fisher was two further back after also making birdie at the eighth, but last year's runner-up Lee Westwood, having turned in 33, looked to have fallen out of the race when he double-bogeyed the short 12th.
He was four under with Scot Martin Laird, who playing with Woods was watching some sparkling stuff even if he was not able to match it. He was out in a level-par 36.
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