So much can happen on Saturday at a major championship.

It's when players put themselves into contention. It's when Tiger Woods has essentially won most of his, moving past large portions of fields and into leads he has never lost in the final round of a major.

But there was a change in that standard form this Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club, when it was simply more of the same in the 71st Masters Tournament.

Temperatures dropped, winds rose, but scores in the third round remained where they have been all week at a historically demanding Augusta.

And none of those conditions was especially good.

"It wasn't very easy again,'' said Stewart Cink, who shot 75 on Saturday but still managed to move up 12 places on the leaderboard. He started the day tied for last place, but is now seven shots clear of that position. "No one will be unscathed here. You feel like you're throwing away shots, but you're not.''

That's because everybody suffered through another brutal day here, one that started with temperatures in the 40s and never got out of the 50s. And that threw this week into the running to be considered the most challenging Masters ever.

In the past 10 years at Augusta, there had been one round when the field's scoring average was higher than 75.6. There have now been three this week after Saturday's 77.35.

That came after it was 76.18 in the first round and 75.63 in the second round.

It came after the highest cut in 25 years at 8-over par.

And it is now coming to seem that the only record threatened this week could be the one for highest winning score, which was set at 1-over par 53 years ago and equaled two years later.

At this point, nobody on the course or at it could be surprised if scores continue going up today.

"It was as tough as I've seen it,'' said defending champion Phil Mickelson, who shot 1-over par and actually had one of the better rounds of the day, moving up 19 spots on the leaderboard. "I actually thought it wasn't as tough as it could have been because they put some water on the course.

"I felt like (the lead) would have been over par. I know the winning score will be over par. There are about 12 or 13 holes that you just want to make par on.''

And several of the same holes that tortured the field early in the week were getting them again.

The first hole, which ranked second in difficulty on Thursday, was the hardest hole on the course Saturday, playing more than half a stroke above par (4.62). More than half the field, 33 players, bogeyed No. 1; there were only two birdies there.

No. 18 has been the second-most difficult hole in the past two rounds, allowing only two birdies Saturday.

And, even though the competition committee moved the tee up roughly 45 yards on No. 4, the par-3 still ranked third-most difficult after being fourth the first day and fifth the second day.

In fact, none of the steps taken apparently to facilitate scoring, including watering the greens and putting pins in relatively inviting locations, seemed to lessen the severity of what has been a consistently demanding course.

"You can hit a good shot and get absolutely hosed out there,'' said Woods, who shot even par Saturday and enters today one shot behind third-round leader Stuart Appleby.

"It was one of the hardest rounds I think we have ever played here.''

Or at least the hardest since the two immediately before it.