AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The frustrated club toss and ensuing fine-inducing, microphone-catching expletive uttered in rapid succession might be the best sign yet that Tiger Woods is rounding into form.
So, too, the demonstrative fist pump after making up for that poor tee shot on the 13th hole Saturday at Augusta National.
The 4-under 68 that Woods shot during the third round of the Masters left him well back of leader Jordan Spieth, but was still a positive development in what -- so far -- has been a surprisingly successful return to competitive golf.
"Oh man, it could have been something seriously low today,'' Woods said. "I had it really going. At [Nos.] 2, 3, 4 on the trot [in a row] there, and then stuffed it at 6, missed it. Stuffed it at 7, missed it. Sweet up and down at 9. A stupidly good birdie at 13 and a stupid bogey at 14.
"All in all if you probably look at it, it should have been about 2 shots better.''
Woods' 68 left him at 210, 6 under par, and in a tie for fifth place. He trails Spieth by 10 shots.
But given where Woods was in recent months -- and not even a certainty for the tournament just over a week ago -- this has been an impressive performance, notwithstanding that tee shot at the 13th. Woods hit a horrible shot that by all rights should have been lost in the woods. But it somehow bounced into a position on the pine straw to where he was able to advance the ball down the fairway. From 173 yards, he hit a 7-iron to 10 feet and made the unlikely birdie.
"It was just a terrible tee shot, that's my old body pattern for a draw with my new release pattern. And they don't work,'' he said. "So I hit the big ball first before I hit the little ball. And then I got fortunate where I had a lie. If it was in the rough I couldn't have played that shot, because I couldn't get enough spin.''
Woods shot back-to-back rounds in the 60s at the Masters for the first time since 2005, when he won the last of his four green jackets. The 68 was his lowest weekend round at a major since a final-round 67 here in 2011. And in his past 15 major championships, this is the first time he's broken 70 in the third round, and only the second time he's been under par.
"I certainly have gotten better each day,'' he said. "I think what I've done all week is pretty good. Coming from where I came from and having to change my entire release pattern. That was tough. And people have no idea how hard it was to do that. And to come back here and play a major championship and be in the mix ... I've got to shoot a low one tomorrow. But at least I've given myself a chance.''
This is Woods' first tournament since he withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open on Feb. 5 with back stiffness. It is just his third event of 2015 and only the eighth worldwide since returning from back surgery he had just over a year ago.
Woods was paired with Sergio Garcia for just the second time since their infamous dustup at the 2013 Players Championship and following, but there were no issues.
"I think everybody makes a bigger deal than it is for both of us,'' Garcia said. "I think we're both fine and we showed it and I knew it was going to be fine. You guys and some of the people think that it's going to be chaos, and it's not like that. At the end of the day, it's just a golf game.''
This was the 22nd time on the PGA Tour they've been grouped together, and Woods now holds a 15-3-4 advantage in those head-to-head encounters. Garcia shot 71 and is tied for 18th.
On Sunday, Woods will be paired with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy. They tee off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
According to the officials who run the Official World Golf Rankings, a solo third finish by Woods would qualify him for the WGC-Match Play later this month.