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Augusta, Ga. • Sergio Garcia's golf ball flew toward the 13th green and disappeared, upon landing.

In that moment, it was becoming apparent that his third round of the Masters would end poorly Saturday. Garcia, as always, was inventing another way to avoid winning a major tournament title.

But wait. The ball stayed on the bank above the tributary of Rae's Creek fronting the green. Garcia chipped close and birdied the par-5 hole, eventually sending him into Sunday's final round in a tie for the lead with Justin Rose at 6 under par.

They love to observe historic anniversaries at Augusta National Golf Club, and 2017 offers another memorable one. Fred Couples won the tournament 25 years ago with the help of a remarkable stoppage, as his ball somehow stayed out of the water on No. 12.

Garcia's favorable outcome on No. 13 required less of a miracle, but he'll take it. Anyone looking for a sign that this might be his time to win, in his 71st consecutive appearance in a major over 19 seasons, could only latch onto that sequence of events.

"Fortunately for me, that bank seems to be a tiny bit longer this year, which is nice," Garcia said. "... I've definitely had some good breaks throughout all three rounds."

One way or another, more good stuff is coming Sunday afternoon. Garcia of Spain and Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist from England, will play in the final twosome. They'll follow the pairing of American stars Rickie Fowler, who's one stroke behind, and Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters winner, who's another shot back.

"After the first round, I couldn't ask for much better than this," Spieth said, referencing his opening 75 that included a 9 on No. 15.

He also could have been speaking for golf fans worldwide. Nobody really thought Charley Hoffman would run away after he opened with a 65 for a four-stroke lead. Even so, the 81st Masters is getting better than just about anyone could have wished.

Hoffman remains in the mix, tied with Spieth and Ryan Moore at 4 under, even after hitting his tee shot into the water and double-bogeying the par-3 No. 16.

Yet the winner almost certainly has to come from this foursome: Garcia, Rose, Fowler and Spieth. That creates a nice list of potential champions' stories, in a Masters that lost No. 1-ranked Dustin Johnson to an injury-related withdrawal and absorbed the fades of some well-known contenders Saturday.

Rose played well enough to win two years ago, shooting 14 under, except Spieth blitzed everybody with an 18-under total. Rose became Saturday's biggest mover with a 5-under 67 that featured six birdies on the last 11 holes.

"This is a place I dearly love, and I would dearly love to be part of the history here," Rose said.

Fowler joins Spieth in the rising generation of U.S. talent, with a Players Championship victory among his credentials. "We'll try and pull the best out of one another," Fowler said. "It's always fun when you're playing with one of your good buddies."

Garcia and Rose also are friends. Amid all of the possibilities, it is natural to frame Sunday as Garcia's major opportunity. At age 37, with 21 tournament titles between the PGA and European Tour, he was an afterthought when the week began. Masters rookie Jon Rahm fielded questions about Augusta National's Spanish vibe with Jose Maria Olazabal and the late Seve Ballesteros as two-time winners, and nobody mentioned Garcia.

Yet here he is, playing steadily with rounds of 71-69-70. Another score in that range should give him a chance to win Sunday, on what would have been Ballesteros' 60th birthday.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribkurt —

Saturday's scores

The Masters

At Augusta National Golf Club

Augusta, Ga.

Purse: TBA ($10 million in 2016)

Yardage: 7,435; Par: 72

(a-amateur)

Third Round

Justin Rose 71-72-67 — 210 -6

Sergio Garcia 71-69-70 — 210 -6

Rickie Fowler 73-67-71 — 211 -5

Jordan Spieth 75-69-68 — 212 -4

Ryan Moore 74-69-69 — 212 -4

Charley Hoffman 65-75-72 — 212 -4

Adam Scott 75-69-69 — 213 -3

Charl Schwartzel 74-72-68 — 214 -2

Lee Westwood 70-77-68 — 215 -1

Thomas Pieters 72-68-75 — 215 -1

Paul Casey 72-75-69 — 216 E

Soren Kjeldsen 72-73-71 — 216 E

Matt Kuchar 72-73-71 — 216 E

Rory McIlroy 72-73-71 — 216 E

Jon Rahm 73-70-73 — 216 E

William McGirt 69-73-74 — 216 E

Kevin Chappell 71-76-70 — 217 +1

Jimmy Walker 76-71-70 — 217 +1

Jason Dufner 71-76-70 — 217 +1

Fred Couples 73-70-74 — 217 +1

Brandt Snedeker 75-74-69 — 218 +2

Brooks Koepka 74-73-71 — 218 +2

Pat Perez 74-74-70 — 218 +2

Russell Henley 71-76-71 — 218 +2

Bill Haas 75-72-71 — 218 +2

Phil Mickelson 71-73-74 — 218 +2

Jason Day 74-76-69 — 219 +3

Justin Thomas 73-76-71 — 220 +4

Steve Stricker 75-73-72 — 220 +4

Martin Kaymer 78-68-74 — 220 +4

Hideki Matsuyama 76-70-74 — 220 +4

Branden Grace 76-74-71 — 221 +5

Francesco Molinari 78-72-71 — 221 +5

a-Stewart Hagestad 74-73-74 — 221 +5

Brian Stuard 77-70-74 — 221 +5

Daniel Berger 77-73-72 — 222 +6

Matthew Fitzpatrick 71-78-73 — 222 +6

Emiliano Grillo 79-70-73 — 222 +6

Brendan Steele 74-73-75 — 222 +6

J.B. Holmes 78-72-73 — 223 +7

Kevin Kisner 74-75-74 — 223 +7

Byeong-Hun An 76-73-74 — 223 +7

Ross Fisher 76-74-74 — 224 +8

Adam Hadwin 75-74-75 — 224 +8

Daniel Summerhays 74-75-75 — 224 +8

Louis Oosthuizen 77-71-76 — 224 +8

a-Curtis Luck 78-72-75 — 225 +9

James Hahn 75-75-75 — 225 +9

Andy Sullivan 71-78-76 — 225 +9

Bernd Wiesberger 77-72-76 — 225 +9

Marc Leishman 73-74-78 — 225 +9

Larry Mize 74-76-79 — 229 +13

Ernie Els 72-75-83 — 230 +14