AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Let the talk of Tiger Slam II begin.

Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1 player, backed into the Masters Tournament lead one hole into his final round at Augusta National Golf Club.

Woods, who entered Sunday's play one shot behind 54-hole leader Stuart Appleby, bogeyed the first hole to fall to 4-over. Appleby double bogeyed the hole, however, leaving Woods and Appleby tied with four other players, including two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and Augusta native Vaughn Taylor, for the lead.

Woods is trying to win his third consecutive major championship. He won the 2006 British Open and PGA Championship. A victory at the Masters, a tournament he's won four times in his career, would put in position to go for an unofficial grand slam at the U.S. Open.

Woods has held all four major championship titles at the same time previously in his career. He won the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship in 2000 followed by the 2001 Masters. This feat, not considered a true grand slam because the victories failed to come in the same calendar year, was dubbed the Tiger Slam.

Woods will face heavy competition this afternoon. Twenty-one players were within five shots of the lead as of 2:30 p.m.

Rory Sabbatini, Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, Zach Johnson and Vijay Singh made early birdies to pull within two shots of the lead.

Sabbatini and Goosen birdied two of their first three holes, birdied Nos. 2 and 3 to get to 4-over for the tournament.

Englishman Justin Rose, who began the day tied for second with Woods, double bogeyed his first hole to fall a shot off the lead.

Appleby and Woods, playing in the day's final pairing, teed off at 2:15 p.m. Appleby's drive went right and nearly under a row of bushes. He chipped out and then hit his approach shot left of the green. He chipped onto the green and two-putted for a double bogey.

Woods, meanwhile, reached the green at the par-4 in two, although his approach shot rolled back onto the front edge of the putting surface. He needed three putts for his bogey.