Golf: Rory McIlroy lost the lead, grabbed it back again, then found himself in a three-way tie in a Masters third round of fluctuating fortunes at Augusta today. Two ahead at halfway in the opening major of the season, the 21-year-old was caught when Australian Jason Day — his playing partner for the third day running — birdied the second and third.

Back came McIlroy with a six-foot birdie putt on the 240-yard next, but while he had only his second bogey of the week after driving into sand on the next, Day sank a 30-footer up and over a huge ridge.

That made the 23-year-old, trying to become the first Australian ever to take the title and the first debutant since Fuzzy Zoeller, outright leader for the first time. But he three-putted the next, then made a total mess of his approach to the 450-yard seventh for another bogey.

Both failed to birdie the long eighth, then McIlroy missed a second successive 12-foot attempt to turn in a level par 36 to Day’s 35. And when Europe’s rising star bogeyed again from the fringe of the 10th green he was back to nine under and alongside not only Day, but also Korean KJ Choi.

Tiger Woods, though, managed only a front nine 37 after bogeys at the first and fourth and a lone birdie courtesy of a 15-foot putt at the first. When he three-putted the 11th, missing from under three feet, he had slipped back from third to ninth on five under, while defending champion Phil Mickelson’s 71 for three under kept him deep in pack on three under and joint-20th.

Choi also bogeyed the 11th as the error count from all the main contenders continued, leaving McIlroy and Day out in front again. Also ahead of Woods were former winner Angel Cabrera on eight under with three holes to play and Australian Adam Scott (67), South African Charl Schwartzel and England’s Luke Donald on seven under.

Donald turned in 33 with birdies at the second, eighth and ninth, took six on the long 13th after hitting a shocking third onto the bank of Rae’s Creek, but came back with an eight-footer on the next.

On the 54th birthday of Seve Ballesteros. compatriot Sergio Garcia made it all the way into a tie for third, but his golfing comeback has still a long way to go — he bogeyed the 10th, 12th and 14th and double-bogeyed the 11th to crash all the way back to two under.

Last year’s runner-up Lee Westwood resumed in a tie for seventh on five under, but he mixed three birdies with four bogeys over the first 13 holes and was joint-12th with fellow Englishman Ross Fisher and Scottish debutant Martin Laird (69).

Ian Poulter and Justin Rose both shot 71 to be two under and one under, but Paul Casey fell back from two under to two over with one to play.