Augusta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Spieth tripped to a double-bogey at 17, but made a clutch par at the 18th Saturday and leads by four strokes after three rounds at the Masters.
Spieth carded a 2-under 70 to end 54 holes at 16-under-par 200. He set the tournament's 54-hole scoring record with his total of 200. That broke the mark of 201 that Raymond Floyd shot in 1976 and Tiger Woods matched in 1997.
The 21-year-old Texan will go for his first major championship title on Sunday. Spieth was also the 54-hole leader at the 2014 Masters, but shared second place behind Bubba Watson.
"Last year definitely left a bad taste in my mouth and I've been looking to get back, try and get some revenge on the year. I've got a long way to go still," Spieth stated.
"It felt a little different. It was weird because ... I had 24 hours from time I finished (Friday) to the time I teed off today. That's a long time to sit on a lead like that. Maybe got a little bit anxious at times, but all in all kept it together with the putter."
Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, was one of three players to shoot 5- under 67 on Saturday at Augusta National. Rose birdied five of the last six to jump into second place at minus-12.
Three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson also shot 67 to move to 11-under-par 205. He bogeyed the 17th for the second time in three days to end in third place.
Charley Hoffman, who was in the final group with Spieth, managed a 1-under 71 on Saturday. He dipped into fourth place at minus-10.
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and Woods, a four-time Masters winner, both carded 4- under 68s. They are tied for fifth place at 6-under-par 210. They were joined there by Par 3 Contest winner Kevin Streelman (70), Kevin Na (70) and Dustin Johnson (73).
McIlroy, the reigning Open Champion and PGA Championship winner, is looking to complete the career grand this week. He eagled the par-5 second to get his round going.
He carded four birdies in eight holes from the eighth to jump to 8-under. However, McIlroy bogeyed two of the last three.
Woods flew up the leaderboard with three birdies in a row from the second. He birdied the eighth and 13th to move to 7-under. Woods traded a bogey for a birdie from the 14th. He closed with a bogey at the last to end at minus-6.
Watson, the defending champion, stumbled to a 1-over 73 and dropped into a tie for 25th at 1-under-par 215.
Spieth started his round with an up-and-down birdie at the par-5 second. He has birdied that hole all three days. Spieth gave that stroke back with a 3- putt bogey at the fourth.
The two-time PGA Tour winner traded a birdie for a bogey at six and seven. He rolled in a 22-footer on the sixth, but found sand at seven and failed to save par from 31 feet out.
Spieth's lead was down to four, but he started to make his move with a 5-foot birdie effort at the ninth. He rolled in a 10-footer for birdie at 12 and made it two in a row with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 13.
At the 14th, Spieth's putter let him down as he 3-putted for bogey. He atoned for that mistake with a 2-putt birdie at 15.
Spieth moved to 18-under and seven strokes clear of the field with a 14-foot birdie effort at 16. With that birdie, Spieth joined Woods (1997) as the only two players to reach 18-under par at the Masters.
However, Spieth made a mess of the 17th. His tee ball found the left trees and his approach came up short, right of the green. Spieth hit a poor chip shot, then 3-putted for double-bogey to trim his lead to four.
Spieth missed the green at 18, but hit a stellar chip shot to nine feet. He poured that putt in for par and a 4-stroke lead heading to the final round.
"It was huge. Just to see one go in after the disappointment there on 17," Spieth said of his par at 18. "I probably should have just hit 3-wood off the tee. That up and down, I don't recommend ever hitting it there. It wasn't easy. It was maybe a 1-in-5 if you make a putt. Very pleased with having that putt roll right in to get some momentum."
Rose bogeyed the first and fifth to slip to 5-under. He erased those mistakes with birdies at seven and nine. Rose got up and down for birdie from just over the 13th green to kick off a run of four consecutive gains.
He ended that run with a hole-out birdie from a greenside bunker at 16. Rose drained a 20-footer for birdie at the 18th to end four behind Spieth.
"That was a quick putt, one that I was definitely taking the high line on and was definitely not going to be racing that one. Everything away from the clubhouse down to Rae's Creek is incredibly quick," Rose said of his putt at 18. "It was kind of a bonus putt."
Mickelson got off to a quick start with three straight birdies from the second. He birdied the ninth, but gave that back when he bogeyed the 11th.
The three-time Masters winner birdied three of four holes from the 13th to jump to 12-under, where he was within five. Mickelson stumbled to a bogey and 17, and paired with a Spieth birdie at 16, Mickelson was suddenly seven back. He parred the last to finish five behind as Spieth stumbled at 17.
"I was looking at the pin placements and they were much more accessible on the front nine so I felt like I had to get off to a good start. I tried to get something going on the back, but it was a much more difficult back nine," said Mickelson. "The back, I ended up making two bogeys that stalled my round, but it was a good round."
NOTES: Spieth has had the 54-hole lead three previous times on the PGA Tour, but he failed to hold any of the three ... Just two of the last six 54-hole leaders have won the Masters, but the champion has come from the final pairing 20 of the last 24 years ... With Spieth failing to crack 70, that means no player has ever carded four rounds in the 60s at the Masters ... Spieth is looking to become the fifth wire-to-wire winner in Masters history.
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