Matt Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick

The Masters: Matt Fitzpatrick cards 67 on drizzly day at Augusta


England's Matthew Fitzpatrick made the big early move on day three of the Masters, a third-round 67 returning him to level par.

Fitzpatrick burst through the pack to finish seventh on his professional Augusta debut two years ago, having missed the cut by a single stroke as an amateur, and his scoring prowess was again on display.

The 23-year-old made a quiet start, playing the first six holes in one-over, but birdies at seven and eight saw him move back ahead of par for the round approaching the turn.

An approach to four feet set up a birdie at the par-three 12th hole, another followed after a short-iron to six feet at the 14th, before the highlight of the round arrived at the par-five 15th where Fitzpatrick converted a 15-foot eagle putt.

Three pars to finish earned Fitzpatrick a round of 67 which matched his concluding effort of 2016 and raised hopes that a similar final-round might earn him another top-10 finish.

Tiger Woods meanwhile carded a level-par 72, three birdies cancelling out three bogeys as he got the better of playing partner Ian Poulter by two strokes.

Woods will have been frustrated to card a pair of par-five bogeys, but played Augusta's challenging set of par-threes in two-under.

Phil Mickelson joined Poulter in shooting 74, the highlight an eagle at the eighth after he'd started the day with a triple-bogey seven following an air shot from the bushes.

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