Ernie Els is in familiar territory.

After carding an even-par 72 on Saturday, Els is tied for fourth place at 7-under par and trails co-leaders Tiger Woods and Retief Goosen by four shots entering today's final round of the Masters Tournament.

Els, known as the "Big Easy," had big problems on the back nine. After carding a 2-under-par 34 on the front side, Els bogeyed Nos. 10, 11 and 18. His lone birdie on the back side was a chip-in on the par-3 12th.

"I played pretty solid, but on the back nine I made some soft bogeys," the 32-year-old Els said. "I'm disappointed, but I'm not out of it. ... I just didn't hit the shots at the right time."

Els, of South Africa, won the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1997. In 2000, he became the first golfer in history to finish second in three straight majors, beginning with the Masters.

In the 2000 Masters, Els went 74-68 on his final two rounds and lost to Vijay Singh by three shots. Last year, he posted a solid 9-under-par total but tied for sixth place, seven shots behind champion Woods.

"I have been in this position the last three years," Els said. "Hopefully this time I can get something going and have a great back nine. I will have to be aggressive tomorrow."

More importantly, he'll have to hit more greens in regulation. Els is tied for 34th among the 45 remaining golfers, with 31 of 54 greens in regulation.

Els has a hot putter, leading the field with 79 putts (1.463 putts per hole) through three rounds. He got his flat stick rolling just last month when he won the Genuity Championship.

A winner of nine PGA Tour titles, Els is still seeking for his first green jacket. He has made eight cuts in nine Masters appearances, but this year's Masters appearance is the one he wants to make most memorable.

"I am 7-under and have seen better comebacks before," Els said. "I have to play well. Tiger is at 11-under, and I don't see him backing up. We'll need to play well from the rear."