ESPN 2008 Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Quick history lesson: Entering the final round of the 1956 Masters, Jack Burke Jr. trailed by eight strokes, lingering in a share of fourth place. That day, he made up the largest deficit by a champion in tournament history, coming from behind to defeat then-amateur Ken Venturi by one.

Don't expect a similar result Sunday. In fact, until last year, every champion since 1990 had come from the final pairing, as Augusta National traditionally turns into follow-the-leader in final rounds.

Although this year's contenders might not be limited to the final two, they likely go only a half-dozen deep. When asked whether the green jacket could be won only by someone in the top six, Paul Casey (who trails by four), said, "Hmmm … yes."

With that in mind, here's what each contender needs to do and avoid Sunday:

Trevor Immelman: 11-under 205.

	Immelman

Needs to … continue excelling in all areas of his game. Immelman is ranked fourth in driving distance (292.7 yards), T-1 in greens in regulation (75.93 percent) and T-7 in total putts (1.556 per hole). No player has ever shot four rounds in 60s at Augusta. If Immelman does it, he'll own a green jacket.
Needs to avoid … overthinking. After two straight nights sleeping on the lead, Saturday night won't get any easier for Immelman. On the course, he needs to avoid leaving a few birdies out there. So far this week, he has played the par-5 holes in only 3-under, which pales in comparison with the other contenders.

Brandt Snedeker: 9-under 207.

	Snedeker

Needs to … put some pressure on the leader early. Snedeker made birdie against Immelman's par on the second hole Saturday, which helped vault him into a temporary lead. He's a momentum player, and any he can pick up early will help throughout the round.
Needs to avoid … Amen Corner, where he posted three consecutive bogeys in the third round. "I didn't really hit a bad shot, didn't really feel disgusted with myself afterwards," Snedeker said. "I went through the same process I've always gone through, and they just didn't come off the way they're supposed to. I tried to minimize my mistakes and didn't make any double-bogeys, and I told myself I was playing great golf and to keep doing it." What's that? He has to play those holes, no matter what? In that case, he just needs to avoid making another trio of bogeys.

Steve Flesch: 8-under 208.

	Flesch

Needs to … keep up the Zach Johnson impersonation on the par-5 holes. No, Flesch hasn't employed the lay-up strategy on each one, but much like last year's champ -- who played them in 11-under -- the lefty is making his mark on the longer holes at 8-under in 12 opportunities so far.
Needs to avoid … just-happy-to-be-here syndrome. "I can't wait to see the whole video of the tournament next week when I get a hold of that," Flesch said after shooting a third-round 69. "But I said to my caddie coming up 16, I said, 'You know, all the Masters I've watched, I've always wanted to be in one of the final groups.' And I said, 'No matter what I do the rest of the week, this is the best day I've ever had at Augusta.'" He need to avoid becoming complacent with simply contending.

Paul Casey: 7-under 209.

	Casey

Needs to … learn from past experience. "I've played in the penultimate group before, back in 2004, played with Bernhard Langer. And that was when [Phil] Mickelson and Ernie [Els] went down the stretch and made a lot of birdies. And I'll draw from that. I know what it's like," said Casey, who finished T-6 that year. " But tomorrow's really a day where I've got to worry about my own game, and if the wind picks up as it's meant to, it will be a day of trying to manage your emotions and your game. And I feel happy with all of that."
Needs to avoid … bogeys. Duh. Easier said than done, sure, but Casey has carded seven bogeys so far this week, which is two more than anyone else in the top six.

Tiger Woods: 5-under 211.

	Woods

Needs to … better his third-round score of 68, which is doable. "This is the highest score I could have shot today," Woods said after his bogey-free round. "I hit the ball so well, and I hit so many good putts that just skirted the hole. But, hey, I put myself right back in the tournament." Tiger always has a number in mind. With tougher conditions expected Sunday, that number could be 67 -- no one has scored better than that yet this week.
Needs to avoid … reading or watching any Sunday preview analysis, which will invariably state the fact that he hasn't won any of his 13 career major championship titles in come-from-behind fashion. This shouldn't be considered a blemish on his otherwise considerable record; it simply hasn't happened … yet.

Stewart Cink: 4-under 212.

	Cink

Needs to … have a strategy before the round as to which holes he can attack and which he can't. Sounds as though he already does. "I think, for someone in my position, probably I'll need to have the golf course set up with birdies in mind like they typically do on Sundays and also some pretty nervous leaders, and I need to play aggressively and hopefully just pick them off as they come," said Cink, who shot 71 on Saturday. " Really, all you can do is just try to do your best and see where you end up around 14 or 15 and then you just kind of go for broke. Hopefully, I'll be in that position where I have to decide."
Needs to avoid … watching Woods try to win his fifth green jacket. Cink has endured a healthy dose of TigerMania in recent months, watching him win by eight strokes in the final group at the Buick Invitational and losing by a wide margin at the Accenture Match Play Championship. He needs to play his own game and not get caught up in what his playing partner is doing.

The field: 2-under 214 and below.
Needs to … pray for rain. And wind. And snow. The tougher the conditions, the better chance one of these players has of shooting a strong round (say 67 or 68) and watching everyone else come back to the back.
Needs to avoid … feeling like first place is all but a dream -- even though it probably is. Among those nine off the lead are Zach Johnson, Boo Weekley, Padraig Harrington, Andres Romero, Robert Karlsson, Sean O'Hair, Retief Goosen, Ian Poulter and Phil Mickelson. Some big names in there and some guys who can go low -- but it likely won't be low enough.

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.