Spieth, McIlroy to begin round three at windy Augusta

Par looked set to prove an excellent score for the second day in succession at the Masters as winds continued to swirl around Augusta ahead of Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy beginning their penultimate rounds.

Spieth and McIlroy were due to tee off in a blockbuster final pairing at 2:50pm local time (7:50pm BST), with the reigning champion holding a one-shot lead over his playing partner at four under.

Four-time major winner McIlroy - seeking to complete a career Grand Slam with a first green jacket - had been one of only four players to break par on Friday as devilishly firm and fast greens, combined with gusting winds, made for a stern test.

And a repeat of Friday's high scoring appeared likely if the performances of the early starters on 'Moving Day' were anything to go by.

With Spieth and McIlroy's tee-time looming, just four players were in red figures for their third rounds - Louis Oosthuizen among them as a 71 lifted the South African to four over for the tournament.

Although Spieth struggled to keep his cool en route to a 74 in round two, the 22-year-old Texan was still on track to repeat last year's wire-to-wire victory.

He also had the opportunity to set an outright record on Saturday, having already tied the legendary Arnold Palmer by holding the lead for six consecutive Masters rounds.

Behind Spieth and McIlroy came Danny Lee and Scott Piercy at two under, while Brandt Snedeker, Hideki Matsuyama and Soren Kjeldsen were a shot further back.

World number one Jason Day, meanwhile, was level par through four holes of his third round, which meant he remained five strokes adrift of the lead.