An action-packed start breathed life into defending champion Phil Mickelson's bid for another Masters Tournament title at Augusta National.
Eight behind Rory McIlroy at halfway and needing something special to get back in the hunt, Mickelson birdied two of the first three holes - and was left thinking it could have been two shots better.
After blasting a wild opening drive into the adjoining ninth fairway the World Number Three hit his second over the trees to nine feet, but did not give the putt enough break.
He slapped himself on the thigh for missing it, but his next putt was truly amazing.
Just over the green in two at the long second - and with the pin at the front - he was left with a curling 80 footer back down the slope and it stopped just an inch away.
After tapping in for birdie Mickelson then went to four under par with a three on the 350 yard next and was up from 20th to 12th.
However, the three-time winner bogeyed the difficult short fourth and knew he could ill afford any more dropped shots if he wanted to have a chance on Sunday.
England's Luke Donald and Spaniard Sergio Garcia both resumed four under and wasted little time moving into a tie for seventh, Donald with an opening birdie and Garcia with a four at the 575 yard second.
McIlroy, meanwhile, was preparing for the biggest round of his life so far. At ten under he was two in front of Australian Jason Day, a Masters Tournament debutant, and three in front of four-time champion Tiger Woods and Korean K J Choi.
Ian Poulter, meanwhile, came back from an opening bogey with birdies at the third, sixth and eighth to be three under with Mickelson, but Paul Casey - two under when he resumed - ran up a bogey six on the second.
Mickelson remained three under after seven, but fellow American Brandt Snedeker, third three years ago, leapt to seven under and joint third spot with an eagle on the second and birdie at the next.
Garcia, rediscovering his love for the game of late, also birdied the third to be six under and when he made his third of the day on the fifth he joined Snedeker, Woods and Choi.
Donald was five under after three, Poulter three under after ten, Casey back to two under after a birdie at the sixth and Laird on the same score after making instant amends for a bogey down the tenth.
Woods made a move on the first, but it was backwards. Off a good drive he pushed his approach and by taking three more for a bogey five he slipped four behind at six under.
McIlroy hit a beauty of an opening drive, found the heart of the green and, like Day, started with a par.
Lee Westwood, joint seventh overnight on five under, was another to bogey the first, but he birdied the long next.
Compatriot Ross Fisher joined him on five under with a birdie at the third, but bogeyed three holes later, while Donald was still five under after five.
