A late-afternoon capitulation by unheralded front-runners Michael Wright and to a lesser extent Paul Spargo on day three left the door open for world No.2 Adam Scott to keep his gold jacket, or another history-seeker, 18-year-old Lucas Herbert, to perhaps become the first amateur ever to win the Australian Masters.

Overnight leader Wright had flagged before Saturday's third round that staying mentally strong would be crucial, and those words proved especially prophetic as he and new leader Spargo (eight under), clung to survival in a wild last hour as harrowing winds provided a brutal test of the final group at Metropolitan Golf Club.

Wright had at one stage surged three shots clear of the chasing back, but ended up staggering to the finish line with four bogeys in his last eight holes to card a two-over round of 74 and drop back to seven-under overall - surrendering the lead to South Australian Spargo, who did a better job limiting the damage coming in, despite both him and Wright being warned for slow play.

However, the presence of Scott still looms large, despite his so far underwhelming impact on proceedings, and it gives the event's organisers at least a taste of what they had hoped – "The Master" in with a chance on the final day.

Scott initially had felt he would need a miracle when he signed in a one-under round of 71, but by the time he had finished practising his putting, his task had become far more manageable and he will start Sunday just four shots adrift at four-under playing from the sixth-last group.

"Anyone sitting in my position tomorrow is going out with no pressure whatsoever," he said. "And you know, if I can get off to a fair start and somehow be within a couple of the lead when I'm turning and they're teeing off, five to six holes behind, certainly posting a number is a big thing - especially with some tough finishing holes like here," Scott said.

The field's other major winner, Geoff Ogilvy, also warned that experience in big tournaments could be a significant factor on Sunday, and he hoped to tap into all of his after a one-under round of 71 left him just three shots behind Spargo.

Scott had slumped as far back as equal 40th during a front nine of 39 (trhee over), which included two bogeys where he needed two shots to get out of greenside bunkers. However, the two-time defending champion was able to rally with four birdies down the back stretch before the extreme wind hit that, at times, was strong enough to move balls from their resting positions on greens.

Scott had predicted that a 65 was possible on moving day but few expected it would come from rising Victorian Herbert who set a new course record with the excellent round given that this is the first major tournament on the new layout at Metropolitan.

Herbert, from Bendigo, said he was "in a zone" through a stunning stretch where he made the most of the better early morning conditions, pouring in eight straight birdies in the space of 10 holes.

Good friends with fellow amateur Ryan Ruffels, a poster boy for much this event, Herbert said coming through the ranks with Ruffels had its advantages for someone like himself who performs best when expectations are low, revealing that "it feels like it's always on him".

Herbert predicted he would get about three hours sleep on Saturday night before his moment to perform in front of his friends and family in the second last group arrives on Sunday.

He might sleep better than Wright, whose troubles began with a bogey on the 11th and got worse on the 14th when a poor tee shot left the 40-year-old having to hit his second off a thick tree root protruding from the ground, and the later missed a simple putt on the 17th hole for another bogey.