The confidence is trickling, rather than flooding, back for Geoff Ogilvy, but an overdue good day on the greens has raised his hope a long slump is ending.

The former world No.3 and 2006 US Open champion shot a four-under-par third round 67 in the Australian Masters on Saturday.

It lifted him to three under for the tournament.

That’s still well behind defending champion Adam Scott and he’s unlikely to break the title drought he has endured since his 2010 Australian Open win.

But the Victorian, now sitting at No.120 in the world, was delighted that, for a day at least, he was able to tame Royal Melbourne’s famously challenging greens.

He said that was the one difference between Saturday’s good score and the 71 and 72 he shot on the first two days.

Ogilvy switched putters after the opening round – something he’s done often over the past two or three years as he searches for a remedy – and it didn’t help on Friday.

But six holes into Saturday’s round, it started to click.

He rolled in five birdies in 10 holes and the confidence that has been depleted by his putting struggles started to build.

“It gets in your head a little bit,” Ogilvy, who will also play the Australian Open in Sydney in two weeks, said of his putting woes of recent years.

“So hopefully it turns a corner.

“I’m hitting the ball well enough to contend anywhere.

“It’s just you hole a few putts and you have four under.

“It’s much nicer.”

Ogilvy has partnered Jarrod Lyle – who is making his tournament return after 20 months out battling cancer – for each of the first three days.

Ogilvy said Lyle, who shot 70 on Saturday to reach even par overall, was playing like he had never left.

He said being with Lyle as he played his first shot through tears on Thursday had been a unique golfing occasion.

“It was a more intimate kind of moment, wasn’t it. It was amazing,” Ogilvy said.