Tiger Woods put himself into the Masters hunt by firing a four-under par 68 in yesterday’s third round.

The 14-time major champion birdied four of the first eight holes and, despite a closing bogey, the four-time Masters winner finished on six-under 210 after 54 holes.

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He said: “I had my chances to make this a really special round. I had it going a little bit. I missed a couple of shorties and six and seven. A realistic score would have been 6 or 7-under today.”

Woods was level with world No1 Rory McIlroy but well off the pace of leader Jordan Spieth. He said: “It’s in Jordan’s hands right now. He can run off and hide. He’s just playing ‘Steady Eddie.’ That’s all he has to do, handle the par-fives and stay away from bogeys.”

Woods, who has not won a Masters since 2005, a major since the 2008 US Open or any title since the 2013 WGC event at Firestone revealed his hopes for today’s final round saying: “I’m going to have to post something low, shoot 30 or 31 (on the front nine), at least give myself a chance on the back nine.”

Yesterday he went three-under on the first four holes for the first time in his Masters career, birdied the par-5 eighth, 13th and 15th holes but went right into trees off the tee at 14 and 18 on the way to bogeys.

The 39-year-old American returned to competition this week after a two-month layoff to fix his game following a career-worst 82 at the Phoenix Open and a withdrawal at Torrey Pines after 11 holes, awful chips and pitches a sign of his woes.

He missed last year’s Masters after back surgery and spent much of 2014 recovering from the various injuries. But yesterday his wedges and irons were spectacular in round three, which he played alongside Sergio Garcia, whose racial comments aimed at Woods in 2013 caused the Spaniard to quickly apologise.

“I’m starting to get my feels back,” Woods said. “There are subtle things you have to do and I’m getting a feel for them.”

Woods pitched to six feet to set up a birdie at the par-5 second, chipped to two feet and birdied the third and put his tee shot 10 inches from the cup to birdie the par-3 fourth. He missed a six-foot birdie putt at the sixth and a 10-footer for birdie at the seventh, then punched a wedge to six feet and birdied the par-5 eighth.

After making a tense 10-footer for par at nine, Woods went into trees left, dropping his club and cursing as the ball veered off course.

He salvaged a birdie on a 15-foot putt, the recovery prompting a powerful right fist pump as the crowd roared, but was not as fortunate from the trees at 14 and 18.

“I made a stupidly good birdie at 13 and a stupidly bad bogey at 14, so it all evens out,” Woods said.