Francesco Molinari fired a flawless six-under par 66 on Saturday, seizing a two stroke lead over Tiger Woods and Tony Finau in a thrilling Masters third round at Augusta National. Italy’s Molinari, the reigning British Open champion, stayed patient through five opening pars as birdies broke out everywhere on rain-softened Augusta. After birdies at six and eight, he erupted with four straight birdies starting at the par-three 12th -- where his tee shot left him inches from the pin. FULL MASTERS LEADERBOARD Live stream The Masters 2019 & over 50 other sports to your TV or favourite device on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial > He methodically rolled in putts of six, eight and nine feet to birdie the next three -- and maintained his two-shot edge by getting up and down for par from a bunker at 18. Molinari, one of five major winners to share the overnight lead, had a 13-under total of 203. “I just try to do my best on every shot,” Molinari said. “I hit the ball maybe a little less well than yesterday but holed some good putts, especially at four and five to save par.” Woods, who won the last of his four Masters titles back in 2005 and hasn’t added to his tally of 14 majors since his 2008 US Open victory, carded a five-under par 67 for an 11-under total of 205. He was joined by Finau, who fired a 64 — one shot off the tournament record and matched by two other eight-under rounds from Webb Simpson and Patrick Cantlay. Adam Scott is the best of the Aussies; tied for 12th at 7-under, with Jason Day at 6-under after finishing 1-over for the round. Meanwhile, Cameron Smith (69) and Marc Leishman (70) finished their third rounds to sit three under and two under respectively. Woods was also slow to join the birdie bandwagon, opening with four straight pars before a bogey at the fifth. He responded with three birdies in a row starting a the sixth. At the seventh he stuck his approach a foot from the pin and he rolled in an 11-footer at eight. “I got on a little roll there,” said Woods, who kept the momentum going with a par save from the trees right of the fairway at nine and sank a seven-footer for birdie at 13. He got up and down for birdie at 15, where his chip on left him two feet, and he reached 11-under with a seven-foot birdie at the par-three 16th. “I just did everything,” Woods said. “I drove it well and hit my irons well. I made some putts. I just let the round just kind of build.” Tony Finau on the charge. Source: Getty Images Can Francesco Molinari hold on? Source: AP Finau, aiming to become the fifth straight player to make the Masters his first major title, opened with three straight birdies. Another birdie at the sixth was followed by an eagle at eight, where his second shot left him a tap-in. “I had a pretty good number,” he said of his second shot. “I hit a really good shot, but I didn’t think it was going to be, you know, a foot from the hole.” The 27-year-old missed a 10-foot putt at the ninth that would have broken the front-nine record of six-under 30, although he wasn’t aware of the mark at the time. Two more birdies coming in put him in a “dream” final group with Woods and Molinari -- after Augusta National officials announced the final round would be played in threesomes from both the first and 10th tees, starting early in a bid to beat severe weather predicted for the afternoon. “As a kid I always wanted to compete against him,” said 29-year-old Finau of Woods. “I’ve dreamed of playing in a final group with him in a major championship.” Molinari played with Woods in the final group at Carnoustie last year, when he lifted the Claret Jug. The Italian wouldn’t go so far as to say he considered it a lucky pairing, and he warned that Woods and Finau wouldn’t be the only players he had to worry about. “There’s a lot of guys playing great,” Molinari said. “I wish I had only to worry about him but I think there’s a lot of players.” Brooks Koepka, who won a second straight US Open title last year then held off Woods to win the PGA Championship, was alone in fourth on 206 after a three-under 69. Former US Open champion Webb Simpson had an eagle and seven birdies in his 64 for 207, level with England’s Ian Poulter, who signed for a 68. Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Dustin Johnson were in a group on 208 that also included South African Justin Harding and Americans Matt Kuchar and Xander Schauffele.<doc-sep>Jason Day says his best Masters result in six years has him counting down the day’s until next year’s Augusta National major. Day’s Sunday charge came too late in what was a disappointing week for the Australian contingent, given Day and Adam Scott shared the 36-hole lead. Former world No.1 Day started the third round tied for the lead but capitulated with a 73, only to bounce back with a five-under-par 67 on Sunday to finish tied fifth at 11 under. Tiger Woods came from behind with a 70 to earn a 13-under-par (275) total and a one-shot Masters win from Brooks Koepka (70), Dustin Johnson (68) and Xander Schauffele (68). Stream live coverage of the 2019 USPGA and European PGA Tours on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial > Day earned his best placing at Augusta since a solo third behind countryman Scott - when he became the first Australian to win the Masters in 2013. Frustrated by throwing away a chance this year on Saturday, Day said he was pleased with his finish. Still, the green jacket eludes the 31-year-old. “Being from Australia, this is the one I’ve always wanted to win,’ said Day, who was also runner-up in 2011. “I always hold it a little dearer than the other majors ... I want to win all of them but this is a little more special. “I was discouraged with how things happened on Saturday but it’s nice to finish off the Masters with a good solid round.” MORE MASTERS NEWS TIGER ROARS! WOODS WINS MASTERS TO COMPLETE GREATEST COMEBACK IN HISTORY TIGER’S BEST FRIEND REVEALS SPECIAL REASON STARS WAITED TO CELEBRATE WITH MASTERS CHAMP WATCH: INSIDE THE MIND OF TIGER AS CHAMP’S FREAK RECALL STUNS Day came within striking distance of then leader Francesco Molinari midway through the back nine when he birdied the par 5s at No.13 and No.15. He also birdied the 18th but finished two back of Woods. “I didn’t start to notice the leaderboard until the back nine but I thought if I could birdie 12, 13, 14 and 15 then I’d be in with a chance,” Day said. Day’s tournament will be particularly frustrating for Australian fans given he double-bogeyed the reachable par-5 15th hole on Saturday. “This is my best finish since 2013, that is a bit of a dry spell,” he said. “But I love this course; it tests your emotions and attitude.” Scott was unable to mount a final-round charge, shooting 73 to share 18th at six under. Adam Scott. Source: AP The former world No.1’s hopes were all but over when he double-bogeyed the par-3 fourth and bogeyed the par-4 fifth. “It was not easy today. Unfortunately, 4 and 5 were big set backs after a good start the first couple of holes and they put me on the back foot,” Scott said. Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith also faded on Sunday. Leishman carded a 75 to share 49th at one over, while Smith’s 77 left him tied for 51st at two over.<doc-sep>Tiger Woods reacts after the winning putt at the Masters. Tiger Woods has done what many once thought impossible after the scandal and injuries that threatened his career — winning another major title by claiming a famous victory at the 83rd Masters, 14 years after he last wore the green jacket. Ending an 11-year major drought, the 43-year-old American superstar -- who underwent spinal fusion in 2017 fearing chronic back pain would deny him life’s simple joys much less golf wins -- seized his first major title since the 2008 US Open. Woods fired a final-round two-under par 70 to finish on 13-under 275 for a one-shot victory to capture a $2.07 million ($A2.89m) top prize and the green jacket symbolizing Masters supremacy. Stream over 50 sports live & anytime on your TV or favourite device with KAYO SPORTS. The biggest Aussie sports and the best from overseas. Just $25/month. No lock-in contract. Get your 14 day free trial > An all-American trio of three-time major winner Brooks Koepka, world number two Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele shared second on 276. Woods had birdied the par-five 15th hole to take a one-shot lead and stretched it to two strokes with a birdie at the par-three 16th as Molinari’s challenge faced with double bogeys at 12 and 15. His majestic march to victory was made to the accompaniment of the roars of the Augusta National crowds -- those watching him and those who saw his name go up atop the leaderboards around the course. MORE TIGER NEWS BEST FRIEND: SPECIAL REASON STARS WAITED TO CELEBRATE WITH TIGER GLORY, INJURIES, SCANDAL: TIGER’S INCREDIBLE CAREER TIMELINE FATHER AND SON: INCREDIBLE MOMENT TIGER’S LIFE AND CAREER CAME ‘FULL CIRCLE’ ‘LITERALLY IN TEARS’: SPORTS WORLD REACTS TO CRAZY TIGER WIN Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! The crowd erupts as Woods claims the 83rd Masters. Source: Getty Images “It’s overwhelming just because of what has transpired,” Woods said. “I could barely walk. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t walk. Couldn’t do anything. “To have the opportunity to come back, it’s one of the biggest wins I’ve ever had for sure.” Winning a fifth Masters title, and his first since 2005, cemented a fairytale comeback to the pinnacle of golf for Woods, whose career imploded after a 2009 sex scandal and nagging knee and back injuries. Tiger Woods celebrates with caddie Joe LaCava. Source: Getty Images Fits beautfiully. Woods is presented with the Masters green jacket by Patrick Reed. Source: Getty Images “It’s overwhelming just because of what has transpired,” Wood said. “I was just lucky to be playing again.” Greenside for the victory were his daughter, Sam, and son, Charlie. Sam was 12 months old when Woods won his last major, at the 2008 US Open, while Charlie was born a year later after his Torrey Pines triumph. “I’m a little hoarse from yelling,” a tearful Woods said before the green jacket presentation in the Butler Cabin. “To have my kids there, it’s come full circle; my dad was here (when I won) in 1997 and now I’m the dad with two kids here. “I’m at a loss for words really.” Former world No.1 Woods has moved to within three of Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record 18 victories and one behind Sam Snead’s record 82 US PGA Tour wins. Although it is the first major Woods has won starting a final round behind the lead, he showed his once-dominant self when he took the outright lead with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th and never looked back. Major number 15. Source: Getty Images Tiger Woodscelebrates with his son Charlie Axel. Source: AFP He stiffed his tee-shot at the par-3 16th to tap-in range for a birdie, before a regulation par on 17 allowed Woods to bogey the 72nd - and he used all five strokes on that hole. Woods, 43, became the oldest champion at Augusta since Nicklaus captured his sixth and final Masters aged 46 in 1986. Woods will move to No.6 in the world rankings - less than two years after he was ranked 1,199 and contemplated retiring from golf due to ongoing back injuries. Meanwhile, Jason Day (11 under), Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, (73, six under), Marc Leishman (75, one over) and Cameron Smith (77, two over) rounded out the Australian contingent. TIGER’S MAJOR WINS 1997 Masters 1999 U.S. PGA Championship 2000 British Open 2000 U.S. Open 2000 U.S. PGA Championship 2001 Masters 2002 Masters 2002 U.S. Open 2005 Masters 2005 British Open 2006 British Open 2006 U.S. PGA Championship 2007 U.S. PGA Championship 2008 U.S. Open 2019 Masters<doc-sep>
We have a five-way tie for first place... and Tiger is closing in. Adam Scott and injured compatriot Jason Day are part of a five-way lead at the Masters, alongside British Open winner Francesco Molinari, Dustin Johnson, and Louis Oosthuizen who still has a hole to go in the second round. Day, who received medical treatment on course beside the second hole on Friday (AEST), came out firing on Saturday with a five-under-par 67 which rocketed him to seven under. Tiger Woods is just one shot back on a jammed leaderboard in the year’s first major. Live stream The Masters 2019 & over 50 other sports to your TV or favourite device on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial > Reigning British Open champion Molinari had five birdies in his five-under par 67 to join the leading group on seven-under 137 on a rainy day at Augusta National. Koepka, winner of a second straight US Open title and the PGA Championship last year, carded a one-under 71. Day, who won the 2015 PGA Championship, signed for a 67 and fellow Australian Scott, winner of the Masters in 2013 posted a 68. South Africa’s Oostuizen the 2010 British Open winner, carded a six-under 66 to join the leading group before Woods nearly upstaged them all. Woods, who won the most recent of his four Masters titles back in 2005, had six birdies in a four-under 68 to head a quartet on six-under 138 that also included former US Open champion Dustin Johnson, South African Justin Harding and American Xander Schauffele. Woods hit a breathtaking recovery shot through the trees on the way to a birdie at 14 and rolled in a 30-footer for birdie at 15. But his seven-foot birdie try at 17 wouldn’t drop, nor would a 14-footer at 18 that would have seen him join the leading group. The five-way tie at the top breaks the record for most so share the Masters lead through 36 holes. Four players shared the lead at the halfway stage in both 1973 and 2017 -- and in both years that group produced the eventual winner. DAY’S BACK IS A WHOLE LOT BETTER Day said he had his chiropractor, Canadian Dr Stuart Love, worked tirelessly on his back on Thursday night and Friday morning to get Day ready to play through the injury. It worked wonders as he appeared to be in considerably less pain as he put together a round that was nearly flawless. The 31-year-old birdied all four par 5s while picking up another two - at the par-4 fifth and par-3 16th. Jason Day is tied atop the leaderboard. Source: Getty Images It was only a bad club selection at the par-3 12th, and a subsequent poor bunker shot, which resulted in a bogey. Day’s fellow Australian Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters winner, has also surged up the leaderboard to six under through 13 holes. Scott birdied the par 5s at eight and 13, while jagging another birdie at the difficult par-3 12th. Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith round out the Australian contingent at the April major and are both at one under early on the back nine. Four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods has picked up one shot and is at three under. RE-LIVE! (If you can’t see the blog, click here)