Augusta, Ga. ? If not for ol’ No. 18, Retief Goosen would be in great shape.

The two-time U.S. Open champion is 6 over, four strokes off the lead going into the final round of the Masters. But he has played the par-4 18th at 4 over through the first three rounds, including a bogey Saturday.

Make par on 18 the first three days, and it would be Goosen, not Tiger Woods, playing with Stuart Appleby in the final group today.

“It was a disappointing finish,” Goosen said. “It would have been nice to get a couple in in the last few holes as I would have been right back in it.”

Still, Goosen did make the biggest move of the day, jumping into a tie for eighth from 46th place.

With chilly temperatures and a gusty north wind causing scores to balloon across the leaderboard, Goosen had the only sub-par round in the field, a 2-under 70. Woods and Lee Westwood were the only players who even got close, each shooting 72.

The field averaged 77.35 strokes, the highest-scoring round since Augusta switched to Bentgrass greens in 1981.

“Retief shot a fantastic score and probably played in colder conditions,” said Appleby, who teed off about 31â2 hours after Goosen. “I’m sure his round would have been littered with some par saves, near misses.”

¢ Big finishes: U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy won a pair of crystal goblets for that nice eagle he made on the par-5 13th hole.

And for the 9 he made two holes later? Well, he’ll get to enjoy a pressure-free round at Augusta National today.

Ogilvy tried to play smart on the par-5 15th, laying up for the third shot over the water and onto the narrow green. But that third shot hit short and trickled down the closely mown hill into the water. His caddie tossed him another ball, and he dropped it at the exact same spot – and suffered the exact same result.

His 9 was the highest score recorded this week. It didn’t match the highest score ever on the hole – an 11.

¢ No wilting Rose: Justin Rose wasn’t about to complain about his round. Compared to the debacle he endured three years ago, the nasty conditions at Augusta seemed quite pleasant.

Leading after two days in 2004, the Englishman found trouble everywhere. Wood, sand, water, rough – the only thing he missed was the Eisenhower Tree along the 17th fairway. He shot a 9-over 81 that matched Lee Trevino for the worst third round ever by a 36-hole leader at the Masters.

And after bogeying his first two holes Saturday, Rose looked as if he was headed for another horrid day.

But he made a nice up-and-down on the par-4 No. 3 and holed a putt to save par on No. 4. Three holes later, he made a birdie that was his first in 37 holes.

His 75 left him tied for second with Tiger Woods at 3 over.

¢ Backing up: It’s hard to find asphalt anywhere on the pristine grounds at Augusta National.

Brett Wetterich did.

It’s not easy hitting shots from the trampled walkways where thousands of fans trod.

Tim Clark had to.

Inexperienced in situations like this, the second-round co-leaders endured all the troubles many thought they might. They combined to go 13 over through their first 10 holes. By the time the ugly day was over, they were struggling to stay in contention.