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Spieth will need resilience again to win Masters

Augusta - Jordan Spieth has used the same grit and resilience he needed after a back-nine Sunday meltdown last year to rally from a 10-stroke deficit into Masters contention once again.

The 2015 Masters and US Open champion fired a four-under par 68 Saturday to share fourth place with fellow Americans Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman after 54 holes to stand on four-under 212, two back of co-leaders Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.

"Kind of the way this year has been, slow starts and just grind it out to come from behind," said Spieth, who won at Pebble Beach earlier this year.

"I've come back and won tournaments before, all the way from six back on the PGA Tour, so I can draw off those experiences."

After an opening 75 that featured a quadruple bogey at the 15th, Spieth was 10 strokes off the lead. If he wins, it would be the greatest 54-hole victory fightback in Masters history, eclipsing those of seven strokes by Tiger Woods in 2005 and Nick Faldo in 1990.

"After the first round, I couldn't ask for much better than this," Spieth said. "We fought back tremendously to have a chance to win this golf tournament and no matter what happens at the end, we will have a chance to win with a really good round tomorrow.

"I knew if I could work my way somehow back to close to par in that second round, I know I can shoot 10 under over two rounds because we've done it before."

Spieth birdied the par-3 sixth and closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies.

After sinking a tense 10-foot par putt at the par-3 12th -- the same hole where he made a quadruple bogey last year to doom his repeat title hopes -- Spieth birdied the par-5 13th and 15th holes before ending a run of 29 bogey-free holes with a bogey at the par-3 16th.

"It's hard to be more resilient than we were last year after number 12. That was by far the most resilient I've ever been on a golf course in my life," Spieth said.

Spieth had been the 54-hole leader in his first three Masters starts but must rally to win this one or even sustain his run of top-two-only finishes.

"Might free me up a bit, being behind," Spieth said. "I plan to play aggressive because at this point, it's win or go home. So you pull off the shots and you make the putts.

"I want to give myself a chance for that to be enough. And if I don't, then so be it. Finishing fifth versus 10th doesn't mean much to me, so that frees me up a bit."

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