Olazabal holds on to lead from Norman

After an Augusta day which witnessed an amazing 10 changes of the lead, enough drama for 10 Masters and even a piece of history, Jose Maria Olazabal ended it as he began it - holding a one-stroke lead.

Olazabal, for whom victory would mean so much after 18 months out injured during which he wondered if he would ever walk again, returned a one over par 73 to drop back onto the seven under total of 209.

He will go out in the final round in the final group with 44-year-old Australian Greg Norman, for whom winning would mean just as much after three runners-up finishes in his favourite tournament.

Olazabal had to conjure up a wondrous shot on the 18th to stay in front. He hooked his drive and as it flew into the trees muttered: "That was an ugly one."

The recovery was a thing of beauty, though. From miles back he chased his ball up to 20 feet and two-putted for par.

Norman went through the whole gamut of emotions on his way to a 71, but perhaps the most memorable was his playing of the treacherous 155-yard 'Golden Bell' 12th when he was the joint leader.

His tee shot flew over the green into an area of bushes, pine tree droppings and undergrowth and despite a five-minute search the ball could not be found.

He had to go back to the tee, hit another ball to nearly 30 feet and made it for a bogey four.

By taking a bogey six on the next Norman appeared to have lost his momentum, but he came back to birdie the 15th and 18th to underline his belief that, three years on from the trauma of losing a six-stroke lead to Nick Faldo, he can finally wear a green jacket tomorrow night.

"Where did that ball go?" he asked afterwards, referring to the 12th. "There was just nothing there."

Olazabal, the 1994 champion who then was diagnosed as suffering from rheumatoid arthritis in his feet (a mis-diagnosis as it turned out after more than a year of agony), had bogeyed the third and sixth as the magic of his Friday 66 disappeared.

He had just one birdie, at the 15th, and Norman was not the only other man to taste top spot during the day and then feel the effects.

Reigning US Open champion Lee Janzen, whose British caddie Dave Musgrove was with Sandy Lyle when he won in 1988, got in front on the outward half, but played the last 10 holes in three over to drop back to joint fifth.

Then it was Davis Love's turn. Four birdies in five holes from the seventh took him clear, but after been forced to lay up on the long 15th his pitch ran back into the water in front of the green and he took a double bogey seven.

Love now lies joint third with fellow American Steve Pate, who claimed the piece of Masters history with seven successive birdies from the seventh en route to a 65.

Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood are far from out of it. Montgomerie lies joint ninth on three under, four behind, following a 71 and Westwood had his best-ever Augusta round, a 68, playing with Pate to move to two under and tied for 13th in a group that also includes 1997 winner Tiger Woods (70).

World number one David Duval came home in 33, but still has six shots to make up and Ian Woosnam is now seven back and Sandy Lyle nine adrift.