World-class. Star-studded. Talent-rich. Pick your phrase, and it won't do justice to the names at the top of the leaderboard after three rounds of the 66th Masters Tournament.

Defending champion Tiger Woods and U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa head a list of who's who in professional golf that will battle for the title today.

They're tied for the lead at 11-under-par 205 with one round remaining at the waterlogged Augusta National Golf Club.

The tournament is back on schedule, just like Woods, who splashed his way to a 6-under-par 66, the low score of a long day in Saturday's third round.

Thirty-eight players, including Woods and Goosen, had a longer day at the office Saturday. They had to complete their rain-suspended second round Saturday morning and then play their third round.

Woods ended up playing 26 holes in 8-under par, completing a second-round 69. He opened with a 70.

Goosen played 25 holes at 5-under.

"It was a long day and a tough grind out there," said Woods, who had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. "But I felt like I hung in there and I really played well."

Goosen, who has shot 69-67-69, is the hottest golfer in the world. He's won six of his past 24 starts worldwide, including the BellSouth Classic a week ago in Duluth, Ga.

Vijay Singh (72 on Saturday) of Fiji, the 2000 Masters champion, is two shots back of the co-leaders.

Phil Mickelson (68), Sergio Garcia of Spain (70) and Ernie Els (72) of South Africa trail by four shots.

The top six players on the leaderboard have much in common this year. They've all won on the PGA Tour; they're all ranked in the top seven in the World Golf Ranking; and they're all in the top 15 on the PGA Tour money list, headed by Woods.

With the exception of Mickelson and Garcia, they all have won major championships. Woods has won six; Els and Singh have two each; and Goosen has one.

"If you look at that board, everyone who's been playing well for the last six months is on the top of it," Woods said. "It's the same guys, whether they're international or American."

All eyes will be on Woods, the world's No. 1-ranked player. He will try to become the third player to win back-to-back Masters titles and the seventh to win more than two. He also won the 1997 Masters.

Goosen, 33, can make some history of his own. No one has ever shot four rounds in the 60s in the Masters. Goosen is the only player in the field with a chance to do that today.

There's a good reason why Woods is tied for the lead. He's doing almost everything better than the rest of the field, which is now at 45 after the cut.

Woods leads the field in driving distance (303.2 yards), is tied for the lead in greens in regulation (41 of 54) and is tied for 13th in putting with 85.

There was a two-shot swing Saturday on the 18th hole, where Woods made birdie with a 12-foot putt and Goosen took a bogey.

That left them deadlocked for the lead and in the final group today. Tee times were moved up one hour for today because of the threat of afternoon showers. The field will go off from 10:30 a.m. to 2:10 p.m. CBS television coverage will start at 1:30 p.m. instead of 2:30.

"I really wanted to get in the final group," Woods said. "I've been there before."

Indeed, Woods was in the final pairing going into both of his Masters victories.

The odds are that today's winner will come out of that group, as has been the case every year since 1991.

History is also riding with Woods. He's been either tied or in the lead going into the final round of each of his six major championship victories. On the PGA Tour, he's won 22 of 24 tournaments in which he either led or shared the lead.

Woods, a winner of 30 PGA Tour events, has a history of playing his best when the stakes are the highest. That can be seen in his final-round scoring average of 68.0 this season. Goosen's is 69.80.

"Tiger is the guy to beat," Goosen said. "I'm just going to try to play my game. I know I'll be 30 yards behind him every time. It's going to be great fun. It's nice to be in the position to see if I can win it tomorrow."

Goosen is one of the best putters in the game, even if he did miss a two-footer that would have given him the 2001 U.S. Open title in regulation. This week, he's had putting days of 26 in the first round, 27 in the second and 27 in the third, where he one-putted the first five holes, making birdie on the first three. He ranks second in the field in putting, behind Els. Goosen is also tied for third in greens in regulation (39 of 54) but ranks 25th in driving distance with a 277-yard average.

"I've been reading the greens nicely, me and my caddie," Goosen said. "I seem to see the lines pretty good on the greens. Still, I had two three-putt greens today, which was a little unfortunate. I enjoy the greens."

One thing is certain: the low-key Goosen won't get rattled today, not by Woods' gallery and not by anything that happens to his game. He showed his mettle last week in the BellSouth Classic, where he started the final round with a one-shot lead. After a bogey, double-bogey start, Goosen played the final 16 holes in 5-under par to win by four shots.

"I don't think his heartbeat ever gets over 100," said Singh, who was paired with Goosen on Saturday. "He's just going to maintain his own rhythm, and he's in his own world out there. I don't think anything is going to bother him tomorrow."

Goosen had played with Woods before, including the first two rounds of the 2001 PGA Championship, where he opened with rounds of 69-70 to Woods' 73-67.

"I enjoy playing with Tiger," Goosen said. "He's a nice guy. I'm just going to go out there and try to focus on my own game, try and ignore that I'm playing with him, and see what happens."

There will also be strong support for Mickelson, who is seeking to win his first major championship in 39 attempts. He finished second in the last major championship, the PGA Championship in Atlanta in August.

"For me to win, I know I'm going to have to shoot a low round," Mickelson said. "Fortunately, I shot a low round today. If I can get that low round tomorrow, it might be enough."

For all the talk of how much tougher the Augusta National Golf Club would play this year with the added 285 yards, the leading score through 54 holes is only one shot higher than in 2001.

The leaders finished near dark Saturday. More than seven hours earlier, Arnold Palmer completed his final round at the Masters to great fanfare Saturday morning. He played the concluding six holes of his second round in 4-over par to finish with an 85. He three-putted the 18th hole for a double-bogey.

It was an emotional farewell for Palmer on the 18th green, where he was surrounded by fans, many of whom who had been waiting for more than three hours. Palmer was to have finished about 9:15 a.m., but he didn't complete his round until after 11 when the start time for the completion of the second round was delayed from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m.

"I thought I would keep the emotion down a bit, but there was a lot of feeling," Palmer said.

"He'll be missed, big time," Couples said.

Palmer's not sure if he will join Sam Snead as an honorary starter for the 2003 Masters, saying, "I haven't thought about that yet. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

It was only fitting that Palmer ended his record 48th straight Masters on the centennial celebration of Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones' birth. It also came seven months after Palmer's 72nd birthday, the same number as par at Augusta National.

One day was not enough time for Palmer to say his goodbyes to Augusta National and his fans. Because of suspension of play in the first round, he came back Saturday to close the book on his career here, playing his 147th round.

"I was very excited (about returning Saturday) because I had not played on Saturday in a long time," joked Palmer, who hasn't made the cut since 1983.

"I was telling Stevie (caddie Steve Williams) that you knew somehow that Arnold was going to make it to the weekend," Woods said. "To have Arnold Palmer end his Masters career on the weekend, I think that's what everyone wanted to see."