Harrington two adrift of leader Appleby

Padraig Harrington is just two shots off the lead going into the final round of the US Masters in Augusta.

The Dubliner returned on three-over 75 in blustery and cold conditions at the Georgian club, which saw only three players make par or better.

Australian Stuart Appleby leads the way on two-over despite a triple bogey at the par four 17th, with Tiger Woods ominously poised one shot behind following a level par 72.

Reigning champion Phil Mickelson (73) is on six-over, while Retief Goosen (70) was the only player to break par.

Appleby's score is by two strokes the highest 54-hole score that ever led the tournament in a history going back to 1934.

'Augusta is a tough opponent - and will be tomorrow,' he said. 'We all know what we are in for.'

In the cold, windy conditions on a course already rock hard the average score, hard though it is to believe, was over 77.

Retief Goosen's 70 was the low round of the day and, having made the cut with nothing to spare at eight over, he still has a chance, as do defending champion Phil Mickelson, Luke Donald and the others on six over.

Woods moved up from 15th to second with a 72 - and would have led on his own but for bogeying the last two holes just as he did in Thursday's first round.

Nevertheless, the world number one is poised now to challenge for a third successive major, his 13th in all and a fifth Masters victory in 11 years.

But he will have to do what he has not had to do for any of his previous 12 wins. Come from behind.

Rose, meanwhile, took the lead when he birdied the 15th - a hole that saw Geoff Ogilvy take nine, Paul Casey eight and Harrington one of many sevens - but then bogeyed the 16th and 17th.

Yet a 75 was good enough to take the 26-year-old from fourth to joint second and in with a great chance of turning his bitter disappointment of his last visit three years ago - an 81 after being the halfway leader - into triumph this time.

Woods's move was ignited by birdies at the third, eighth and 13th. The 31-year-old had his first three-putt of the week at the 15th - for a par after making the green in two - but missed the fairway down the 17th and failed to get up and down from a plugged lie in the greenside bunker.

A perfect drive down the last was then wasted with an approach that came up badly short and after chipping 18 feet past the flag he could not salvage his par.

Asked if he had allowed the round to get away from him again Woods said: 'Yeah. And then some.

'Quite frankly I didn't look at the leaderboards. I was just plodding along. It was one of the hardest rounds we've ever had here.

'You know if you make 18 pars you are going to move up the leaderboard. That's not usually the case.'

Rose, level par overnight, bogeyed the first two holes to bring back memories of 2004.

But the 26-year-old, vastly more experienced now, settled down, then hit his approach to 18 inches on the seventh and after bogeying the 10th made a 12-footer for a second birdie at the short 12th.

He dropped another shot on the 14th, but his birdie at the next came as Appleby was completely messing up the 17th by hooking into a bunker, hitting the lip, going in the same bunker as Woods and then three-putting.

However, Rose three-putted the 16th and could not get up and down from over the 17th.

'Obviously I got off to a bad start, somewhat reminiscent of three years ago,' he said.

'But what I was pleased about was that if didn't affect me and turned it around.'

David Howell, eighth at halfway, was in contention until he triple-bogeyed the seventh, the start of his slide that ended with him signing for an 82 and 11-over aggregate.

Brett Wetterich was the one who suffered the most. Not that his 83 was the high score of the round - playing partners Ben Crenshaw and Arron Oberholser had 84s - but because his hopes had been so high standing on the first tee with dreams of becoming the first rookie winner since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

Click here for the up-to-date third round leaderboard from Augusta.