Tiger Woods didn't pack any warm red clothing before arriving at the 71st Masters Tournament, thinking he wouldn't need it at Augusta National Golf Club in early April.

Despite his disappointment with a shot on No. 8, Woods sank a 14-foot putt to birdie the par-5 hole and move to within one shot of par at that point in his third round. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

He'll need to find some with his trademark Sunday color, and play better than he finished in Saturday's third round, if he plans on overcoming some of the harshest Masters conditions ever and winning his fifth green jacket.

Even so, he couldn't ask for a much better position.

With Stuart Appleby's triple bogey and Justin Rose's bogey at No. 17, and Vaughn Taylor's three consecutive bogeys to finish, Woods wiggled into the final pairing with Appleby. He's one stroke from the lead at 3-over.

The champion has emerged from the final group every year since 1991. Four times it was Woods, but he's never come from behind during a final round to win a major.

None of that mattered moments after he wrapped up his even-par 72 round. Woods was steamed when he came off the 18th green, for good reason. He was 1-over for the tournament through 16 holes and believed a birdie was waiting for him at the par-4 17th. But he pulled his drive left into the trees, put his approach shot into the front bunker and failed to save par.

"I made a mistake there by not playing it long or playing at the gallery 40-50 yards over the green, because it's an easy pitch coming back into the wind, uphill," he said.

Tiger Woods watches his birdie putt fall in the hole on the third green during Saturday's round. Woods had three birdies and three bogeys in Round 3. (Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff)

At No. 18, the wind ruined his chance for a round of 1-under 71 when a gust left his 8-iron short of the green.

"The wind switched; I hit the wrong club at the wrong time," he said. "You had to hit quality shots out there and stay patient at the same time. You can hit a good shot and get absolutely hosed out here.

"No. 10 was a perfect example: (Partner Paul Casey) got a good gust and got to the hole, and I got the wrong one and ended up (45 feet) short. In conditions like these, you've got to be aggressive to your spots, and that sometimes is nowhere near a flag."

At a place where eagles and birdies have become the norm throughout the years, Woods believes par has increased value because of the weather and firm course conditions. He proved that on No. 15 when he three-putted for par after making the green in two.

"I had to play about 20 feet of break, so it's not exactly an easy putt," he said. "I had to come up over a knob. If I hit it too hard, it would've broke to the right at the end. If I hit it too easy, like I did, it broke more left.

"The way they set up the golf course and its length, when you get dry conditions, this is what's going to happen."

Entering Saturday at 3-over, Woods posted two birdies on the front nine, including a curling 14-foot putt on No. 8 that put him one stroke away from even par. He grinded through three consecutive pars, including two after making the turn, but ran into trouble at the par-3 12th when his tee shot sailed over the green and bounced into the back-left sand trap. His bunker shot dribbled past the hole, and he missed a tricky downhill putt for his first bogey of the round.

The swirling winds at Amen Corner made birdies as uncommon as the blustery Augusta weather.

Woods was unsure if today's forecast for less wind would be the deciding factor in crowning a champion. "If it blows like this, you don't know," he said. "Putts from two or three feet, you've got to play a little bit of wind, and that's trouble out there."

Reach John Kaltefleiter at (706) 208-2213.