By Simon Lewis, Augusta

Rory McIlroy's Masters ambitions will need a kickstart today after the Irishman lost his third-round duel with tournament leader Jordan Spieth by four shots at Augusta National.

World number three McIlroy, needing a first Masters title to complete a career grand slam, is not without hope after defending champion Spieth finished his round bogey, double-bogey to sign for a one-over-par 73, which also featured five birdies, another bogey and one more double, at the 11th.

Yet McIlroy's own birdie-free round of 77, five over par, still leaves him five strokes in arrears having started Saturday's third round just a shot behind Spieth, who has now led the Masters for seven successive rounds having won wire-to-wire here in 2015.

Spieth's lead over the field is still one shot but the American will feel he has seen off his closest rival in McIlroy, with a new unlikely cast of contenders now in his immediate wake as he attempts to become only the fourth Masters champion after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods to successfully defend his title.

Masters debutant Smylie Kaufman will join compatriot Spieth in today's final pairing, on two-under following the only sub-70 round of another difficult day in Augusta amid gusting winds.

While a shot further back is Bernhard Langer, Germany's two-time Masters champion who at the age of 58 would become the golf's oldest major winner were he to win here for the first time since 1993.

Langer will start Sunday's final round in a tie for third following his third-round 70, alongside Japan's Hideki Matsuyama with world number one and pre-tournament favourite Jason Day of Australia at level par with Dustin Johnson of the United States and England's Danny Willett.

“I played better than I scored today,” Spieth said.

“It was a really tough finish to go from really holding a four-shot lead and being in a very similar position to last year to where all of the sudden now it's anyone's game, so it's tough to swallow that.

“I'm in the lead after 54 holes. If you told me that at the beginning of the week, I'd be obviously very pleased. So it's mixed feelings right now.”

It was a frustrating day for McIlroy, whose last birdie-free round in a major had come at the 2010 Open at St Andrews, when he followed an opening 63 with an 80.

His three-bogey, one double-bogey round brought an end to a run of 80 consecutive rounds in the majors with a birdie.

Having bogeyed the par fours at three and seven, the start of the back nine once again proved McIlroy's undoing as he bogeyed 10, the scene of his 2011 meltdown, and then doubled the 11th, after finding water with his approach shot to the green, delivered with a snap hook from left-sided pine-straw.

If McIlroy is to fulfil his destiny, he will have to negotiate holes 10, 11 and 12 much, much better.

In 26 rounds over eight appearances the Irishman is 26 over par for those three holes while his score over the other 15 holes is 25 under.

He weathered the storm, parring his way home, though an excellent birdie opportunity at the last, forged with a wonderful approach from 171 yards to nine feet, was squandered with the putter.

“I couldn’t get anything going really. It felt more like a US Open than a Masters today,” McIlroy said. “I am disappointed. I felt like I righted the ship a little on the back nine but couldn’t take the few opportunities I gave myself.”

Despite his disappointment, McIlroy has not given up hope of victory here on Sunday after Spieth's setbacks at the close.

“I think it’s winnable from here. If Jordan hadn’t had that finish he had then I would probably say 'no' but he finished that way and the guys on two and three over like myself feel like we have a chance now. I just have to make sure that I get off to a fast start and put some red numbers on the board and make a bit of noise to put a bit of pressure on the guys playing behind me.

“I need to be more aggressive. I played very tentatively today right from the get-go. I hit it in the bunker on two and that was the way of it.

“I didn’t birdie any of the holes I had been doing for the first two days, I didn’t take advantage of the par fives.

“I made a couple of big numbers and had no red on the card and that is never going to bode well. I was trying so hard on that last putt to just make one birdie today but it wasn’t to be.

“I’m only five back and I can’t believe I am standing here saying that because I was eight behind standing on the 17th tee. I need to regroup and stay positive and go out and attack tomorrow.”

While Spieth has now held the 54-hole lead in all three of his Masters appearances to date, the day really belonged to a golfer whose second Green Jacket was earned four months before the American was born.

Langer's two-under 70 was one of only four under-par rounds of the day, outscoring playing partner Jason Day by a shot to put the German within two of Spieth's lead and aiming for history as the oldest winner in majors history.

“That was just so impressive to watch,” Day said. “When you consider some of the positions he is playing in from compared to where I was, it was unbelievable. If I think back to 10, I had 120 yards to the pin and he was at least 60, maybe 80 yards behind me.

“He plods along and knows his strengths and weaknesses.

“I had a lot of fun playing with him. I could tell how gritty he is and how much of a competitor he is. He is a true professional in that regard and I know that he really wants to compete and try to win this thing tomorrow, but then so do I.”

While Langer was being toasted, Ireland's Shane Lowry was having a day to forget, his third-round 79 sending him from level par and in contention after 36 holes to seven over.

Lowry got off to a terrible start as he bogeyed the first four holes and added four more, his only birdie of the day coming at the par-five 13th.