Jordan Spieth said he did everything right to "almost pull off the impossible" in one of the most memorable final-day Masters rounds.
The 2015 champion signed for a sensational eight-under-par 64 on Sunday, a bogey at the last preventing him from tying the all-time Augusta low score.
It meant Spieth – the first-round leader - fell two shots shy of eventual champion Patrick Reed, who finished at 15 under for the tournament.
MORE: Why Reed is one of the least popular Masters champions ever
Having started the day nine strokes adrift of Reed, Spieth would have completed the greatest Masters turnaround in history had he managed to produce the unthinkable and win a second green jacket, but the three-time major champion insists his focus throughout was on having fun and not victory.
"The first time I saw the leaderboard was after I tapped in on 18. Honest to God. I Didn't look once today," he added.
"That was my plan going in. I'm nine back. Go out and just have fun. Don't worry about the golf tournament itself, worry about playing Augusta National.
"With eight people ahead of me starting the day, to get that much help and shoot a fantastic round was nearly impossible. But I almost pulled off the impossible.
"When I finished and I looked at the board I could have been in the lead by two and I could have been down four. And neither one would have surprised me.
"It was nice. I look back, and, man, I did everything right."
Reminder: @JordanSpieth was 9 back at one point today.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 8, 2018
He tied the lead before finishing just 2 back. #theMasters pic.twitter.com/UfT1XfpCu7
There was a cathartic moment for Spieth at the 12th hole, where in 2016 he famously twice found the water en route to shooting seven at the par three to derail his bid to win back-to-back Masters, as he celebrated a clean shot onto the green that led to one of his nine birdies.
"What we did on 12 today was really cool. I mean that hole, even when I didn't hit it in the water in previous years, I three putted in 2015 for bogey," he added.
"So, to play a disciplined shot, probably the most pressure packed shot I've ever hit, again, I had no idea where I stood, but still the Sunday pin at Augusta and I know what I've done, and my history there, to stand in that kind of pressure and hit the shot to the safe zone to knock that putt in was massive for me going forward.
"And in general this round was fantastic. I mean nobody's going to have a great Sunday every year at Augusta National.
"To be able to have a chance to win this tournament five years in a row is really, really cool. And that's how I'm going to take today."