Augusta’s plus festival

After a cold day of bogeys and gusts, the winner of the 71st Masters might be the player with the best hand warmers.

Never count out Tiger Woods, who kept himself in contention Saturday for his fifth green jacket despite finishing bogey-bogey on his last two holes.

“I got a shot at it,” Woods said, almost in amazement, considering how he’d flubbed his finish.

It could be an Australian for the first time or an Augustan for the second.

It could be a man who almost didn’t make the cut (Retief Goosen), or defending champion Phil Mickelson, even though he stands six over par.

Saturday was mostly a horror show, starring the wicked wind from the north, which kicked up dust and scores. Augusta National yielded only one under-par round by Goosen and spit out an average score of 77.350.

Someone has to win, those are the rules, but chances are it isn’t going to be pretty.

If ever a player staggered to a 54-hole lead, it was Australian Stuart Appleby, who stands at two-over 218, with a one-stroke lead, despite making a triple-bogey seven at the par-four 17th.

Lurking one shot back, at three-over 219, are Woods and Englishman Justin Rose.

Woods shot even-par 72 on Saturday but left the course kicking himself for bogeying the last two holes for the second time this week -- he also did it Thursday.

Rose bogeyed his last hole to finish three-over 75 and remains the only player this week to shoot a bogey-free round.

Three players -- Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson and Vaughn Taylor -- are two shots behind at four-over 220, and Mickelson shot one-over 73 and is only four back at six-over 222.

“Tough as I’ve seen it,” Mickelson said of the conditions.

Mickelson thinks a round of 68 might be enough to hang a third jacket on him.

“That’s kind of the game plan,” he said.

Taylor seeks to become the only Augustan other than Larry Mize to win the Masters. He briefly held the lead after he birdied No. 15 but finished with three bogeys to end up a frustrated four over -- but still in contention.

So an unsteady stage is set -- Woods will be paired in today’s final round with Appleby.

“Well, he won’t even know I’m there,” the Australian quipped. “I’m sure I’ll know he’s there.”

The last 16 Masters champions have emerged from the final group, including Woods in his four wins. In his previous 12 major victories, however, Woods never has come from behind on the final day, but he has never lost a major while playing in the final group.

There’s a good chance today’s winner won’t be in red numbers.

The highest score to win the Masters, one-over 289 by Sam Snead in 1954 and Jack Burke Jr. in 1956, is very much in play.

Saturday marked the highest 54-hole score, beating the even-par 216 by Jack Nicklaus and Tommy Jacobs in 1966.

“I guess if you’re trying to find the beauty, it is survival,” said Zach Johnson, who shot two-over 74.

For only the sixth time in third-round Masters history, no player shot a round in the 60s.

Cold winds drove a chill through champions.

Geoff Ogilvy, the defending U.S. Open champion, took a quadruple-bogey nine on the par-five 15th. He also had triple on No. 2 on Thursday and stands at 10 over.

Had Ogilvy played the holes he botched at par, he would be one shot behind.

And you wonder why golfers play it one shot at a time.

Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open champion, made Friday’s cut on the number, at eight over, and now has a chance to win the tournament. His two-under 70 was Saturday’s top round, and the only one under par. He’s six over, tied with Mickelson, and only four shots back of Appleby.

Woods left the course trailing Appleby by four shots and thinking he’d blown it again.

After signing his card, he stood and assessed the scoreboard. Within an hour, though, and without taking a shot, Appleby’s lead over Woods had shrunk to one.

Good day, mate?

Well, yes and no.

Appleby was grinding along at one under when he ran head-on into the 17th, which he later described as being a comedy of errors.

After going from the woods to the sand to a three-putt, Appleby had his triple and had gone from one under to two over.

Aussies, of course, have long courted disaster at Augusta National in a time-honored tradition dating to Greg Norman.

No Australian has ever won the Masters -- and the first trophy is by no means in the pouch. Appleby is the Aussies’ only hope this year, with Ogilvy foundering and Adam Scott, the world’s No. 3 ranked player, standing at 12-over 228.

And what of Brett Wetterich and Tim Clark, the 36-hole leaders?

They shot a combined 19 over, invoking memories of the final pairing of the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, when Goosen and Jason Gore shot 25 over.

“Fore, please,” the starter uttered as he introduced Saturday’s last pairing, “Brett Wetterich now driving.”

After a few holes, though, you wondered if he had a license.

Wetterich saved par with a tricky putt at the first but not much else. A triple on the par-four third sent him spiraling toward an 11-over 83, with Clark, his partner, limping in at eight-over 80.

All there’s left to do now is play the final, bone-chilling round.

Given his record in big events, Woods may have nothing to fear but fear itself.

He is not alone in that thinking.

“Look, Tiger has always got an advantage,” said Appleby, his final-round playing partner. “It’s obscene that he has an advantage. It’s quite obvious.”

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chris.dufresne@latimes.com