Woods cards worst ever Masters round to fade, SA's Schwartzel 7 back

Tiger Woods's hopes of a victorious return from career-threatening injuries evaporated on Augusta Nationals greens on Saturday as Scottie Scheffler led the Masters by three strokes.

Woods, 14 months removed from a car crash that left him with injuries so severe he feared he might lose his right leg, saw his hopes of a stunning comeback for a sixth green jacket come undone with his worst-ever Masters round, a six-over par 78.

The fact that the 46-year-old was even able to tee it up -- and make a 22nd consecutive Masters cut -- was astonishing.

But at nine off Scheffler's lead to start the day, Woods knew he needed something sensational to give himself a chance come Sunday, and instead he posted a round worse than the third-round 77 he shot in his 1996 debut as an amateur.

South Africa's Charl Schwartzel, meanwhile, shot 73 on Saturday and is now seven shots behind Scheffler while Christiaan Bezuidenhout's 77 leaves him14 shots back. 

"It's just like I hit a thousand putts out there on the greens today," said Woods, whose prior mastery of the unforgiving, undulating greens of Augusta helped him to five Masters titles.

"I felt like I didn't really hit it that bad, but I had four three-putts and a four-putt," Woods said. "I just could not get a feel."

Woods's seven-over par total of 223 put him 16 strokes behind Scheffler, who survived drama at the 18th to card a one-under par 71 for a nine-under total of 207.

The 25-year-old Texan takes a three-shot lead over Australian Cameron Smith into the final round.

On a cold, windy day where scores soared, Smith carded the only round in the 60s with a four-under par 68 for 210.

Smith was two strokes in front of third-place South Korean Im Sung-jae, who shot a one-under 71.

But, once again, it