JUSTIN Rose will be in the last pairing for the final round of the 2015 Masters after launching himself into contention for the title with an outstanding back-nine performance at Augusta yesterday.

The north Hampshire golfer was in the hunt heading into the weekend after opening rounds of 67 (-5) and 70(-2), though he was seven shots behind halfway leader Jordan Spieth heading into yesterday's third round.

Rose got off to a slow start yesterday, making bogeys at holes one and five, but birdies at seven and nine had him level par for the day when he reached the turn.

After making solid pars on the first three holes of the back nine, the 2013 US Open champion went into overdrive, making four successive birdies, holing out from the bunker at the par-three 16th to move to 11-under-par.

After failing to hit the 17th green, Rose produced an impressive up-and-down to save par, before holing a slippery putt from the fringe of the 18th green to move clear in second place at -12.

The former Robert May's School pupil will play tonight's final round with Spieth. The young American remains ahead, but his lead has been cut to four shots after he made a double-bogey six at the 17th.

The gap could have been even smaller, but Spieth pulled off an impressive up-and-down to save par at the last, having hit his approach shot into the spectators surrounding the green.

The final round gets under way this afternoon, but Rose and Spieth will not begin their round until 2.50pm in Augusta, 7.50pm BST.

Third Round Leaderboard

-16 J Spieth (US)

-12 J Rose (Eng)

-11 P Mickelson (US)

-10 C Hoffman (US)

-6 D Johnson (US), R McIlroy (NI), K Na (Kor), K Streelman (US), T Woods (US)

Follow live text commentary of Rose's attempt to claim a second major title at basingstokegazette.co.uk/sport from around 7.30pm.