AUGUSTA, Ga. -- As his playing partner faded and the field energized the Augusta National crowd, Lee Westwood ignored the pressure and turned an indifferent ear to the roars that rang throughout the back nine Saturday.
The 36-year-old Englishman remained steady. And he remained the Masters leader after his third-round 68 moved him to 12 under-par 204. Westwood holds sole possession of the lead after any round at a major championship for the first time in his career.
"I think I'm ready," he said.
He better be.
Westwood will be in the final group today with Phil Mickelson, who is one back after turning a solid round magical with an electric eagle-eagle-birdie stretch from Nos. 13 to 15.
K.J. Choi and Tiger Woods are four back at 208. Woods, who is in his first tournament since taking a five-month break following the revelations of his marital infidelity, made a 3-foot birdie putt to post his second consecutive 70 after it looked like his score might be a lot higher early Saturday.
Woods closed to within one shot of the lead with two difficult birdies, from 18 feet on No. 1 and a twisting 35-footer on the third, but his round turned sour quickly. After making just four bogeys in the first 39 holes of this tournament, he made four in the next seven.
While he was fighting his swing and his emotions -- Woods yelled "Tiger, you suck!" after a bad tee shot on No. 6 -- the rest of the field was making its move.
"After struggling just to fight back ... the guys were running away from me there," Woods said. "At one point, I was seven back. So to kind of claw my way back in there where I'm only four back right now, I'm in good shape."
It's shaping up as a Masters to remember. Three of the top four players in golf -- No. 1 Woods, No. 3 Mickelson and No. 4 Westwood -- are in the final two groups to decide the tournament.
"I think that's what everybody wants to see," Westwood said. "Everybody has missed Tiger on the golf course the last five or six months, and he's up there. Phil is up there. You've got 4, 3 and 1 in the world. It's a good leaderboard, I think."
Interactive graphic: Tiger Woods' Masters Scorecard
It's a leaderboard crafted by highlights and memories.
Mickelson joined Dustin Johnson and Dan Pohl as the only players to make back-to-back eagles here and missed a third by less than a foot when his approach on No. 15 curled around the cup. Lefty's moments were special, but they were hardly isolated.
Fifty-year-old Fred Couple chipped in for eagle at No. 15, moving to 8 under. Couples, the first-round leader, made bogey on the final hole but finished at 7 under for the first three rounds.
"I know time flies, but tomorrow I have a shot," Couples said. "I'm way behind, but I've heard other people talk about it, so I might as well say the same thing. If I can shoot a low score, I maybe can post a score and see what happens."
Ricky Barnes made four birdies -- including two that he holed from around the greens at Nos. 13 and 14 -- to balance four bogeys. In his first Masters as a professional, Barnes is at 6 under and tied for sixth with Hunter Mahan and Ian Poulter.
Poulter was left in the wake of a hard-charging field. He started Saturday as the co-leader and played with Westwood, but a balky driver and tough-luck double bogey on the par-3 12th led Poulter to a 74.
His pursuit for his first major title almost appears done, especially if Westwood continues his relentlessly consistent pursuit. He made just one bogey Saturday, and he is the only player in the field to be in the 60s each day this week.
But no lead is safe, not at any major, and especially not at Augusta National, where the low scores -- and the big roars -- have returned.
"We have seen some strange things happen over the years," Mickelson said. "I think the course is going to be set up in that you can make some birdies and challenge some pins. I think it's going to be an exciting Sunday."