On a soggy mess of a course, Arnold Palmer finally said goodbye.

The King played his last six holes at the Masters choking back tears and walked off the 18th green to a thunderous ovation Saturday morning.

In the ultimate sign of respect, David Duval lingered by the scoring hut to watch Palmer finish up -- even though Duval missed the cut.

Singh, who finished his second round Friday, was still the leader at 9 under when everyone finished, but his margin dwindled to one stroke over Goosen and two over Els.

And don't forget Tiger Woods, going for his second straight green jacket. He was just four shots behind.

Palmer was a four-time champion playing the tournament for the last time.

``A lot of things came to my mind,'' he said. ``The tournaments I won, some I lost. Certainly, as all of you know, there's both sides of it. The last couple of days, there was maybe a little heavy emotion within myself. It's not always noticeable, but the feeling is there.''

He paused, his lip quivering as he struggled to hold back the tears.

Goosen, the U.S. Open champion, birdied three of the last five holes as the rain-delayed second round was finally completed -- though hardly in optimum conditions.

Thirty-eight players finished up on the squishy course, which Duval said was virtually unplayable. On the 18th, he had to move 23 yards to the left to drop in a dry -- sort of -- spot, forcing him to hit a 4-iron to the green with an awkward stance.

``There's no reason we can't just go to Monday or Tuesday,'' said Duval, who had back-to-back 74s and missed the cut by one stroke. ``I don't think anybody will leave.''

The stormy weather created some improbable scenes at pristine Augusta National. Pine straw covered the walking paths across the fairway, and muddy sand was spread between the clubhouse and the 18th hole.

``It's a shame to see the course so destroyed,'' Jerry Kelly said.

Also, the third round began with players at both the first and 10th tees -- the first time that's happened since 1982. Club officials decided it was necessary to get in the third round before nightfall -- assuming the rain stayed away.

Some handled the miserable conditions just fine.

Goosen shot a 5-under-par 67, leaving him at 8-under 136. Els was another shot back, also scoring 67 in the second round.

Singh finished before storms soaked the venerable course. He shot 65 -- his best round ever at the Masters -- and was at 135 overall.

Woods is trying to become only the third player to repeat as Masters champion. He set an Augusta record with his eighth straight round under par, shooting 69 with birdies at 13 and 15.

``You have to be very careful with what you're doing out there,'' he said. ``You don't want to get too far behind. I'm only four strokes back. That's not too bad out here.''

Also in contention: Ireland's Padraig Harrington (70), Spain's Sergio Garcia (71), Argentina's Angel Cabrera (71) and Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal (69), all at 139 overall with Woods.

Goosen's second shot at the par-5 13th trickled back into the water. The South African took bogey on a hole that usually provides at least a birdie chance.

But Goosen bounced back with birdies at 14, 15 and 17. He had a chance to tie Singh with a putt from the fringe at 18, but it drifted just right of the cup.

``I blocked my shot on 13 and then hit a poor chip,'' Goosen said. ``From there on, I played nicely. I made a few good putts.''

Els birdied three holes and eagled another after play resumed.

``Today, for some reason, I did the right things,'' Els said. ``It was better than I was looking for. I was hoping to get to 4 or 5 under at best.''

Duval, a runner-up twice and one of the favorites, missed the cut for only the second time in seven trips to Augusta. He had finished no worse than sixth the last four years.

``Not getting to play the last two days is not really something that entered my mind,'' Duval said.

Singh put himself right where he wants to be in pursuit of a second green jacket. The consummate front-runner, he has won seven of the 14 times he's held the lead going into the weekend and never finished lower than fourth.

``I just feel like I'm playing a lot better now than I did two years ago,'' Singh said. ``That in itself should carry me through, if I keep playing the same way.''

Palmer played his 147th and final round at the Masters, saluted by an army of fans on just about every step around the course.

The 72-year-old King made it to the weekend in his 48th Masters, even though his mammoth score -- a 30-over 174 -- wasn't being posted on the boards.

It didn't matter.

``This place won't be the same without him,'' two-time winner Ben Crenshaw said.

Palmer briefly toyed with the idea of playing two more years, but his poor play convinced him that it was time to step aside. An 89 Thursday equaled his worst round ever at Augusta, and he finished with an 85.

``My game is not good,'' he said. ``I hope to go out next week and start practicing, find the answer to my problems and get on with it.''