The Green Jacket won’t be making a return journey to Australia after a difficult third round for the four Australians who made the cut at Augusta National.

Jason Day is the best placed after Saturday’s round but at
4-under for the week and 12 behind leader Jordan Spieth it would take something
superhuman for him to contend.

Both Day and Scott, who played together, started the day at
3-under and 11 behind Spieth and both started well on a day when something in
the mid 60’s was required.

For Scott back to back birdies at the par-5 second and short
par-4 third had him moving in the right direction early but Augusta National
bit back immediately with the 2013 champion going bogey-double bogey over the
next two holes.

The one step forward two steps back pattern continued for
Scott for the round as he racked up birdies at eight and eleven but gave them
back with a bogey at 15 and a double to finish the day at 18.

Day also started well with a birdie at the second but a luke
warm putter proved costly over the course of the day with several good chances
going begging.

Five times the 26-year-old found himself with birdie putts
of less than 10 feet but with all missing the hole as did several slightly
longer chances.

A clearly frustrated Day suggested after the round he would switch
putters for tomorrow’s final 18 in a bid to climb the leader board.

"I’m going to try a few different putters tonight," he said.
"Try and go back to something that I can kind of see something, see the line
with and that."

While his 1-under 71 wasn’t what he was looking for,
Day could be forgiven for thinking he was on the wrong end of some bad luck.

While only the player can be held accountable for putting
problems his bounce at the last hole was nothing short of brutal.

Day hit a perfect iron to the difficult back right pin
position but the ball ricocheted off the flagstick and ran 20 metres back off
the front edge of the green.

While he made an impressive up and down for par it was
symbolic of the day of near misses he had endured.

Asked about putts that grazed the hole on both the third and
fifth holes Day admitted things could have been different.

"The funny thing is that if one of those goes in, then I
might be standing here with a different score," he said.

"I know that I would be standing here with a different
score, because that just kicks the momentum, that kicks a good round going.

"Just unfortunately I didn’t have it today. I just caught a
few lips and I couldn’t hole anything after that."

Geoff Ogilvy and John Senden, the other two Australians who
made the cut, also endured up and down rounds which produced lacklustre final
scores despite being potentially good.

Ogilvy notched five birdies in his first 9 but mixed it with
six birdies to post a 1-over 73 while Senden posted four bogies, two birdies
and an eagle for his even par result.

Both are T36 and well outside the all important top-16 who
receive an invite for next year so will have plenty to play for tomorrow.