Greg Norman had just hit his third shot on No. 13 when the horn sounded, marking the beginning of a weather delay that interrupted Saturday's third round of Masters Tournament competition for almost two hours.
Norman's only wish was that the rain, which softened the fickle greens at Augusta National Golf Club and made them easier to play, would have come a few hours earlier.
``Unless the wind gets up, those guys will be probably 10 or 11 under by the end of the day,'' said Norman, who paired with fellow Australian Steve Elkington in the second group off the tee at 9:30 a.m.
As it turned out, the winds picked up after the storm moved on, making matters difficult for the leaders and granting Norman a sliver of hope.
The 45-year-old played well for the second straight day, carding a 2-under-par 70 that, coupled with his 4-under 68 on Friday, moved his three-round total to 2-over 218.
He bagged five birdies Saturday, including a long putt on the par-4 18th that was set up by a difficult save out of the front fairway bunker on his second shot.
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Greg Norman waves to the crowd after sinking a birdie putt on No. 16.Ron Cockerille/Chronicle Staff
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He birdied twice on the front, made the turn with a 1-under 35 and parred holes 10, 11 and 12.
Norman was blessed with rare good fortune after he hooked his drive on the 485-yard, par-5 13th. The ball, headed toward a tributary of Rae's Creek, caromed off a tree branch, bounded out of the rough and came to rest in the fairway.
Norman laid up and saved par after the storm abated to remain at 3-over. He took advantage of less-menacing greens with birdies on Nos. 15, 16 and 18, but he wasted another opportunity at No. 17 when he sent his approach short and into the greenside bunker, leading to his third bogey of the day and 10th of the tournament.
``I played very well again today,'' said Norman, a 20-year Masters veteran whose wardrobe remains free of a green jacket. ``It's just I thought I could have shot a lot lower.''
Norman could only imagine the possibilities entering today's final round had he not began the tournament with a miserable 8-over 80 on Thursday, his worst ever here.
He closed that day with a gruesome struggle on the back nine, suffering five bogeys and a double bogey for a 7-over 43 after the turn.
``Actually I played pretty good,'' Norman, who has eight top-five finishes here, said of Thursday's round. ``I hit solid shots and didn't make a birdie, but I felt like I played pretty good. I hit solid shots in the water and walked away shooting an 80.''
Had it been a 75, Norman likely would be in better position for the elusive Masters victory that he desperately covets.
He lost narrowly in 1986 after Jack Nicklaus' storied charge, a year later on Larry Mize's miraculous chip-in, then in 1996 after squandering a six-stroke lead to Nick Faldo. Last year, he sank a dramatic eagle putt on the 13th hole but crumbled down the stretch and finished third.
This year has been uneventful for Norman. His four events before the Masters yielded finishes of 12th, 30th, 33rd and 53rd.
``People like to think of all the bad things that have happened to me here, but I don't,'' Norman said earlier this week. ``I like to think of the good things.''
Contending today is a remote possibility, but Norman didn't embrace his chances Saturday afternoon.
``It depends on what happens,'' he said. ``You can't see what happens until you see what happens with the final score. But you never know in this game.''
Norman continues comeback with 70
