Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose Share Lead Following 3rd Round of 2017 Masters

Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia are tied atop the 2017 Masters leaderboard following the third round at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

Rose and Garcia sit at six under for the tournament. They're trailed closely behind by Rickie Fowler, who's at five under, and the trio of Jordan Spieth, Charley Hoffman and Ryan Moore, all of whom are at four under:

Rose charged up the leaderboard after shooting five under Saturday. Fox Sports' Shane Bacon showed how Rose closed the round on a tear on the back nine:

BBC Sport's Dan Walker thinks a repeat of that performance will give Rose the title:

Rose's putting was one of the biggest reasons for his climbing into a tie for first place. According to the Masters' official site, the rest of the field averaged 1.71 putts—the highest of the tournament so far. Rose, on the other hand, averaged 1.61 putts—his lowest of the tournament.

Garcia wasn't as good as Rose on Saturday but carried over his consistent play from previous rounds. He's the only golfer to be under par in each of the first three rounds, and consistency could be the key for somebody who has stumbled so many times in major tournaments.

ESPN's Darren Rovell noted Garcia will be looking to end one of the biggest major droughts in history:

Fowler has had his share of close calls as well early into his career. He famously finished in the top five of all four major tournaments in 2014 but couldn't pull out a victory. ESPN.com's Jason Sobel tweeted the 28-year-old could be due for a big Sunday:

At the very least, the PGA Tour is looking forward to the final-round pairing of Fowler and Spieth:

Spieth continued his comeback from a first round in which he quadruple-bogeyed the 15th hole. With a four-under 68 third round, he's well within contention of a second green jacket.

His birdie on No. 15 illustrated how much he had improved over Thursday. Golf Channel shared a replay of his approach that set up an easy birdie putt:

Should Spieth win, it would cap a historic turnaround, according to Sean Martin of the PGA Tour's official site:

Whereas Spieth, Fowler, Garcia and Rose all look primed to vie for the Masters title Sunday, Hoffman's stock is trending downward.

Hoffman had a share of the lead through 36 holes and remained near the top of the leaderboard throughout much of Saturday. However, he bogeyed the 14th hole and carded a double-bogey on the 16th hole.

Hoffman has largely struggled since opening the Masters with an impressive seven-under 65 in the first round, which doesn't inspire confidence in his chances of continuing to contend into the final round. 

Don't count Golf Digest's Dan Jenkins among those hoping to see the 40-year-old rebound Sunday:

Whatever the result, the 2017 Masters is shaping up to have a dramatic conclusion.

Six golfers are within four shots of the co-leaders, and among that group are three former champions (Spieth, Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel). Garcia and Rose can savor their share of the 54-hole lead for the time being. On Sunday, though, they'll likely have to fight off a number of challengers for the top spot.

Post-Round Reaction

"For the last couple of days, we were just waiting for that day," Rose said of Saturday's conditions at Augusta, per USA Today's Nancy Armour. "The course was in magnificent shape, and it was there for the taking in the sense that, if you played great golf, you were rewarded. But it still had enough teeth that if you weren't on your game, it was going to get you."

Spieth is happy enough to be two shots back heading into the final day.

"After the first round, I couldn't ask for much better than this," he said, per CBSSports.com's Kyle Porter. "You know, we fought back tremendously to have a chance to win this golf tournament, and no matter what happens at the end, we will have a chance to win with a really good round tomorrow."

Garcia is similarly excited to be heading into the final day in contention for the Masters title, according to Golfweek's Gerry Ahern: "Having a chance to win a tournament is always exciting. Having a chance of winning a major and winning here at Augusta, it's extra exciting. So you do have to calm yourself down, not get ahead of yourself."