Jordan Spieth claimed not to know where he stood on the leaderboard as he worked his way to a final-round 64 and third place in the Masters.
The 2015 Masters champion tied Patrick Reed for the lead when making birdie at the 16th hole and appeared poised to set a demanding clubhouse target, before a bogey at the final hole cost him that chance.
Spieth, though, told Sky Sports that as he drove into trouble on the 18th, he did not know how close he was to Reed - or indeed whether he'd passed his Ryder Cup team-mate.
Spieth told CBS: "I did not look at one (score) board. The only time I knew where I stood was after 18. I knew the putt was important, every shot was important coming down the stretch.
"Obviously I'm gutted with the finish. I hit a tee shot that was not that bad, just caught the last branch of that tree."
In the end, Spieth settled for third place despite a sensational 64, one short of the course record at Augusta National.
"I knew that it was a dream front-nine, coming out today, and then I played 10, 11, 12 beautifully," he added.
"No regrets in the round, I got kind of a tough break there. I need to look at today from a really positive viewpoint to set up the rest of the year.
"I'd like to go back to that tee shot but I certainly would have signed for it (a 64) if you asked me at the start of the day."
Spieth has now contended for the Masters on all five visits, finishing inside the top three on four occasions, and is 8/1 favourite for the 2019 renewal with Sky Bet.
Related links
