World number one Scottie Scheffler remains in a good position to win his first major at the 2022 Masters, despite a bumpy back nine in Saturday's third round giving hope to his rivals.
The 25-year-old American shot a one-under 71 - carding four bogeys in the final seven holes - to take a three-stroke lead into Sunday's final round.
Australia's Cameron Smith is the nearest challenger on six under.
Smith, 28, moved back into contention with a 68, the low round of the day.
Scheffler and world number six Smith - the first final pairing of top 10 players at a major since the 2015 PGA Championship - tee off at 19:40 BST on Sunday.
In 26 of the past 31 Masters, the champion has come from the final group.
South Korea's Im Sung-jae, runner-up alongside Smith in 2020, is two shots further back on four under.
Ireland's 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry and South Africa's Charl Schwartzel, who won the Green Jacket in 2011, are two under.
Five-time champion Tiger Woods dropped down the leaderboard after recording the worst Masters round of his career with a six-over 78.
Scheffler maintains lead after 'great escape' on 18
After reaching top spot in the world rankings last month for the first time, Scheffler is aiming to crown his place as the dominant player in the men's game with a maiden win at one of the four majors.
The US Ryder Cup star's ascent has been swift. Three victories in his past five starts - the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Phoenix Open - saw him overtake Spain's Jon Rahm.
Scheffler has transferred that form to Augusta and held a commanding five-shot lead going into Saturday's third round. History showed four of the five previous players with the same lead ended up claiming victory.
Scheffler, in only his third Masters, extended his advantage to six shots with four birdies and a bogey on the front nine.
Always unruffled and rarely showing emotion, Scheffler's calm demeanour is one of the key attributes in his recent success.
He also possesses a strong all-round technical game and combining the two facets on Saturday initially seemed to hint at a procession towards victory.
However, those wanting to see an exciting contest on Sunday had their hopes raised when things turned for Scheffler on the back nine.
The lead was reduced to three shots after four bogeys, including one which he scrambled on the 18th after a wild drive into the trees.
Finding his ball at the side of a bush, Scheffler had to take a one-shot penalty drop but rescued the situation with a stunning iron shot to the back of the green.
"I feel great - I definitely played some nice golf today. I made a few errors I haven't made in the last few days but to still get around in under par in the conditions today is a pretty nice round," Scheffler told Sky Sports.
"I was fortunate on the 18th that it was on the side of that bush where I could take an unplayable and get out of there.
"I was lucky to play a great shot onto the green and play a nice up and down."
Smith puts himself back into contention
Smith, runner-up at the 2020 Masters, is aiming for a rare double after winning the recent Players Championship at Sawgrass.
Although a bogey on the par-three 16th checked his progress, a round containing six birdies was enough to ensure he will go out in Sunday's final grouping with Scheffler.
"It was tough conditions again. The greens are starting to firm up. It got really spicy out there. I think today's round was better than the first," said Smith, who shot 68 on Thursday and 74 on Friday.
Schwartzel, 37, has shown little form recently - missing the cut in each of his past six starts on the PGA Tour - but revealed on Friday he had watched footage of his previous Augusta victory to act as inspiration this week.
Playing alongside Scheffler in the final grouping, Schwartzel was largely unable to match the heights of his rival but did create the day's most eye-catching moment when he holed out from 136 yards for an eagle on the 10th.
