‘It would be sacrilege not to play here no matter how much it frustrates you’

Graeme McDowell insisted he would never consider not playing the Masters despite another frustrating experience at Augusta National.

McDowell carded a final round of 73 on Sunday to finish six over par and is now a combined 24 over for his eight appearances in the year’s first major championship.

“I can’t imagine not coming here,” the former US Open champion said. “It would be sacrilege not to play here no matter how much it frustrates you as you have to enjoy it for what it is.

“It is a celebration of golf on my favourite golf course in the world. It is. I love it. But it’s unrequited.

“Once I feel like I have got one up on this course it takes two back. I walk away still disappointed a little that I can’t score as well as I feel I should round this course. I threw away shots like confetti all week.

“I think it’s a puzzle you can solve. I realised my style of putting is not suited to Augusta. I’m going to have to work on a type of speed putting that’s going to be suitable.

“You have to be a ‘front-edge’ putter like Bubba (Watson), I’ve never seen anyone roll in putts from six feet slower than Bubba. You have to drop them in and I have to adapt to do that round here.”

McDowell’s score could have been even worse after he was initially given a one-shot penalty for moving his marker as he attempted to swat a bee away from his ball on the third green.

However, European Tour chief referee John Paramor rescinded the penalty a few holes later and McDowell added: "I said could he follow me the rest of the day because he was the first guy who has saved me a shot in a while."

Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth were threatening to turn the 79th Masters into their own private duel after brilliant starts to their final rounds on Sunday.

Spieth took a four-shot lead into the final round after a record-breaking performance over the first three days at Augusta National, but Rose was not about to throw in the towel.

The Ryder Cup star had played the first five holes in two over par on Saturday and was also three over for the first four on Friday, but reversed that trend in emphatic fashion with birdies on the first and second.

That briefly cut Spieth’s lead by a shot as the American followed Rose in from 10 feet on the first but failed to get up and down from the back of the second green, but the world number four then holed from 15 feet on the third.

At 18 under par he had restored his overnight lead, with Phil Mickelson another two shots back after picking up one shot in his first four holes.

The star pairing of world number one Rory McIlroy and 14-time major Tiger Woods had so far failed to spark each other into life, with McIlroy opening with four pars and Woods dropping a shot on the fourth to remain well off the pace.