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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Cracking jokes and talking about his impending doom - make that date - with Tiger Woods, Stuart Appleby sounded more like a guy who was leading the Masters than someone who had just made a ghastly triple bogey.
Turns out, Appleby was both.
On a crazy, brutal, wind-swept third round at Augusta National on Saturday, Appleby came out ahead.
He positioned himself to do it by making three straight birdies early, before the wind and weather got really bad.
And he somehow held on late, despite a triple bogey on No. 17 that he called ``a comedy of errors'' - an apt description for a hole he started by driving into a bunker next to the green on No. 7.
He shot a 1-over 73 to finish at 2-over 218 - putting him a stroke ahead of Woods and Justin Rose and also making him the proud new owner of the highest third-round score to lead the Masters in its 71-year history.
``This course,'' Appleby said, ``is ready to slap you in the head if you do anything wrong.''
Speaking of cold doses of reality, he has a 2:15 p.m. tee time with El Tigre in the last group Sunday.
``He won't even know I'm there,'' Appleby said. ``I'm sure I'll know he's there. I'll be the other guy.''
He's trying to become the first Aussie to win the Masters, and was asked if his background playing on the wind-swept landscapes Down Under might provide any advantage in a showdown against Woods.
Thus began this monologue:
``Look, Tiger has always got an advantage,'' Appleby said, getting laughs. ``It's obscene how much of an advantage. It's quite obvious. You don't have to say, `Wow, look at that writer. He stepped out on a limb and said Tiger has an advantage.' Yeah, he has more experience than what's left of the field put together.''
OK, OK, we get it. Appleby (zero majors) versus Woods (12) in the final round of the Masters isn't a fair fight.
But give the guy credit.
