Woods makes his move

Resuming in a tie for 15th place five strokes behind leaders Tim Clark and Brett Wetterich, the world number one's bid for a 13th major and third in a row - also his fifth green jacket - was ignited by birdies at the third and eighth holes as most others struggled again.

And after failing to get up and down from the back bunker at the short 12th Woods responded with a spectacular 90-yard pitch over Rae's Creek to within two feet of the flag on the long 13th. The birdie putt returned him to one over par and incredibly that was good enough for joint second, two behind new pacesetter Stuart Appleby, the Australian having also turned in 34.

Britain's Justin Rose, level par overnight, bogeyed the first two holes to bring back memories of his 81 when leading at halfway on his last visit three years ago.

But the 26-year-old, vastly more experienced now, settled down, then hit his approach to 18 inches on the seventh to sit alongside Woods, Vaughn Taylor, Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson and Jerry Kelly in second spot.

Appleby had a hat-trick of birdies from the second to take over at the top, but strayed into the trees down the seventh for a bogey and did well to scramble a par on the next after doing the same.

As for Clark and Wetterich, they were really suffering. Last year's runner-up Clark went over the first green and followed a bogey there with more on the fourth and fifth to drop to two over and eighth place.

Wetterich, making his Masters debut, hooked deep into the trees on the long second for a bogey six, but worse was to come very quickly. He chipped over the green at the third, then thinned his next attempt back to where he was. The 350-yard hole cost him a triple-bogey seven and he dropped another on the next.

That seven was not the only one. David Howell had one at the seventh and followed it with a bogey six for an outward 40 that sent him tumbling to five over.

Playing with Woods for the third day running, Paul Casey was going well too.

Having improved 11 shots on his opening 79 in the second round Casey covered the front nine in a one-under 35 to be two over, but bogeyed the 12th like Woods and remained three over with four to play.