Tiger not out of contention, but odds are long

Over the year, we've come to expect the impossible from Tiger Woods. Still, T.J. Auclair says considering all the things he'll have to overcome, a win on Sunday might be asking too much.

By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods is probably going to have to do something otherworldly to win the 73rd Masters on Sunday.

He'll need a little help, too.

We're not saying the world's No. 1 player and owner of 14 major championships, including four green jackets, isn't capable of coming from behind – it's just that Woods has never come from behind after 54 holes to win a major before.

This time around the deficit is large. After shooting a 2-under 70 in the third round, Woods is tied for 10th at 4 under total and trails 54-hole co-leaders Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera by seven shots.

Just two weeks ago at Bay Hill, Woods made up a five-shot deficit in the final round to top Sean O'Hair. However, that wasn't the Masters.

The names Chad Campbell, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Rory Sabbatini, Todd Hamilton – all TOUR winners with two major wins and several other major top-10s between them – as well as Tim Clark, who ousted Woods in the second round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, are in front of him.

To make the final round extra special – and perhaps easier on the leaders – is the fact that Woods is paired with Phil Mickelson (also 4 under) for just the third time on a major Sunday and the first time since the 2001 Masters, which Woods won.

Does Woods have a chance?

"It depends," he said. "If [the leaders] go off and shoot two, three, four more under par from where they are right now, it almost puts it out of reach for us. But if they come back a little bit or stay where they're at, we've still got a chance."

It's safe to say the third round didn't exactly start the way Woods had hoped. On the first hole, he launched his tee shot into the trees on the left side of the fairway. It looked like he might get out of the hole with minimal damage after delivering a sweeping-hook recovery shot just short of the green. Electing to putt for his third shot, the ball didn't quite get over a mound in the green and fell down into a swale.

From there, Woods lagged a putt up to roughly three feet, setting up what looked to be a sure bogey. Instead, he blew it by the cup and stormed off with a double bogey.

"It was not a very good start, obviously," Woods said. "Making double at No. 1 and three-putting the first hole, just put me right behind the 8-ball. But man, I fought hard to get it back today. That was a hell of a fight."

It sure was.

Following the double bogey, Woods buckled down with birdies on Nos. 3 and 9 to make the turn at even par. On No. 6, a 180-yard par 3, he actually hit the pin with his tee shot, but the ball ricocheted and he had to settle for a par.

Woods dropped a shot with a three-putt bogey at the lengthy 505-yard par-4 11th hole, but bounced back with birdies on Nos. 13, 15 and 17.

The birdie at the par-5 15th was especially nifty. Another wayward drive – this time sailing off to the trees on the right – left Woods with little margin for error from the pine needles in order to execute a successful lay up shot.

He managed to hit a low line drive with a slight bit of draw and advanced it well down the left side of the fairway. Woods' third shot with a wedge came to rest about six feet from the hole and he converted the birdie.

"I fought it yesterday, I fought it today, but I also scored, so I'm pretty proud of the fact I got myself back in the tournament, considering that I didn't hit it as well as I wanted to and had two three putts," he said.

When the round ended and as he was walking over to a swarm of reporters, Woods turned around to take a long, hard look at the leaderboard, seemingly doing the math to see what kind of work he had to do on Sunday.

While the work is plenty, this is what he lives for. When one reporter gave Woods an excuse, suggesting the struggles were due to his near 10-month layoff from major championship golf, he wasn't taking the bait.

"No, it's not that at all, not that at all," he said. "I just didn't hit the ball as precise as I needed to today and just fought my [expletive] off to get back just to shoot a number. As I said, I'm very proud of that."