AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Trevor Immelman has a swing that has been compared to Ben Hogan. But, when he enters the final round of the 72nd Masters today at the Augusta National Golf Club, holding a two-shot lead, he might be better served if he has another of Hogan's famous qualities, as well.

Steely nerves.

Not only will Immelman, 28, be trying to win his first major championship and become the first wire-to-wire winner at the Masters in 32 years. He will have the added pressure of knowing Tiger Woods is on the chase, making birdies from the fairway and miraculous pars from the pine straw.

Immelman has been on top of the leader board for three days at Augusta National, and yesterday he stretched his lead with a 3-under 69 that included a fortuitous break at the 15th hole and a 3-foot birdie at the final hole. He is at 11-under 205 after 54 holes, two shots ahead of Brandt Snedeker and three shots clear of Steve Flesch.

"All I can ask for myself is to go out there and, you know, play as hard as I can and believe in myself," said Immelman, a native of South Africa who has one victory in three years on the PGA Tour. "I've got to believe in myself and hope for the best."

So far, his best has been pretty good. Immelman has made only two bogeys in three days, leads the field in driving accuracy (90.4 percent) and greens in regulation (75.6 percent) and capped off his third round with birdies on three of the final six holes.

"If Trevor continues the golf he's playing now, it will be difficult to catch him," said England's Paul Casey, who shot 69 in a round that included six birdies and is at 209.

The only player with a better finish was Snedeker, who came back from a three-bogey stretch in Amen Corner to birdie three of the final five holes and shoot 70. Snedeker is at 207 and will tee off in the final pairing with Immelman at 2:25 p.m. today.

"I'm going out there trying to win a golf tournament; doesn't matter that it's a major," said Snedeker, 27, the PGA Tour rookie of the year in 2007. "I'm going out there to play good golf and see what I got. Everything I've grown up trying to do, everything I've practiced for, everything I've done, is in preparation for [today]. I'm not nervous about it at all."

Immelman even seems to have good fortune on his side. When his third shot at the par-5 15th spun off the green and down the shaved embankment, the ball somehow trickled to a stop and didn't roll into the water. It was mindful of the break Fred Couples received in 1991 when his ball stopped on a shaved bank at No. 12 and didn't roll into Rae's Creek. Like Couples, Immelman managed to get up and down and save par.

"I was begging for it to stop as soon as it could," Immelman said. "I must say, I couldn't quite believe when it stayed up."

He might need more good fortune against Woods, who tied for low round of the day with a bogey-free 68 and is alone in fifth at 5 under, six shots back. In a round that was similar to his brilliant third-round performance at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, Woods put on a ball-striking display that resulted in four birdies -- three on the back nine -- and a quantum leap up the leader board. His only bad swing was his tee shot at the final hole, but all that did was allow him to repeat his miraculous par save from the previous day.

"It was probably the highest score I could shoot," Woods said. "I hit the ball well all day."

Woods, who is seeking his fifth green jacket and 14th major title, has never won a major when he is trailing after 54 holes, but none of the four players ahead of him has won a major championship.

"I put myself right back in the tournament," Woods said. "A few more putts go in, I'm right there. I'm still right there, anyway."

Yes he is, and it has to be a daunting thought for those in front of him, who have combined for only six PGA Tour wins -- four by Flesch, who has one bogey in his past 36 holes.

Woods seemed to gain energy from his finish in the second round, when he birdied No. 17 from 2 feet then made an incredible par-save at the final hole after hitting his tee shot in the right pines and playing up the 10th fairway.

He birdied the second hole, ran off seven consecutive pars, then made a 15-foot birdie at No. 10. After narrowly missing a 20-foot birdie at the par-3 12th, he two-putted from 30 feet for another birdie at the 510-yard 13th. Woods wasn't finished, incredibly ending the round with the same bizarre sequence of events that had transpired 24 hours earlier.

At No. 17, he nearly holed a sand wedge from 117 yards, his ball stopping 2 feet for birdie. After hitting his tee shot in the same pine straw to the right side of the 18th fairway, he hit a low 7-iron from 180 yards through a 4-foot opening in the pines and two-putted from 45 feet for par.

"I said you're either making six or you're making four," Wood said. "I thought I may as well go ahead and make four."