AUGUSTA, Georgia (AFP) - South African Trevor Immelman clung to a two-shot lead midway through the final round of the Masters on Sunday as world No. 1 Tiger Woods' bid for a fifth Green Jacket stalled.
Immelman, 28, bidding to become the first wire-to-wire winner since Raymond Floyd in 1976, had two bogeys and one birdie on his outward run and held a two-stroke lead over steady Steve Flesch.
Immelman sneaked in a par-saving putt at the ninth to preserve his cushion, after appearing unsettled when he failed to make a short birdie attempt on the seventh, which was followed by a bogey six at eight.
America's Flesch, 40, opened with six straight pars before a bogey at the seventh. He rebounded immediately with a birdie at the par-five eighth to stand at eight-under, two shots in front of American Brandt Snedeker.
Snedeker had started the day alone in second, two strokes behind Immelman, and like the South African bogeyed the opening hole.
He responded immediately with an eagle at the par-five second, but dropped shots at the third, sixth, seventh and ninth to drop into third place.
Woods, who started the day six strokes adrift, was unable to apply any early pressure to the less experienced leaders as gusting winds added to the difficulty of the Augusta National layout.
He bogeyed the par-three fourth from the bunker - his par putt lipping out. His birdie attempt at the next stopped a fraction of an inch from the cup, but he claimed his first birdie of the day at the par-three sixth to get back to five-under for the tournament.
But Woods bogeyed the 10th to head into the testing Amen Corner trio of holes still six shots off the lead.
The lack of major championship experience among the four players who started the day in front of him was reckoned an advantage for Woods, who boldly proclaimed that an unprecedented sweep of all for major titles this year was possible for him.
Still, Woods needed to do something he has never done before in order to claim a fifth Green Jacket, since all 13 of his major titles have come when he held at least a share of the 54-hole lead.
Woods' playing partner, Stewart Cink, and two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, were nipping at the world No. 1's heels at three-under.
Cink opened with two birdies to get to six-under, but bogeyed the fifth and ninth and 10th to fall back.
Mickelson, who appeared out of the running at two-under going into the round, was three-under through 15.
England's Paul Casey, who started the day in fourth place, saw his hopes evaporate with a double-bogey at the fourth, followed by bogeys at fifth and sixth - where he was penalized a stroke after his ball moved on the green after he had grounded his club prior to putting.
Immelman, whose US rookie of the year season in 2006 was followed by a 2007 marred by illness, is trying to become just the second South African after three-times winner Gary Player to win the Masters.
