Augusta, GA …

Rory McIlroy was naturally bitter disappointed not to have won the 87th Masters and while frustrated with his Augusta showing he still believes 100% he will succeed in winning a Masters.

McIlroy’s goal of joining golf’s Grand Slam club was dashed by a final round 74 and losing by six shots in tumbling down the board to share  fifth place behind new Masters champion, Patrick Reed.

Reed, 27 was never headed posting a closing 71 for a one-shot victory at 15-under par.

Reed, and wearing a pink shirt at the request of sponsor’s Nike in lieu of his traditional Sunday red, denied the orange outfitted Rickie Fowler, who birdied the last in a round of 67 for a 14-under par total to capture a most-worthy first green jacket.

To McIlroy’s credit he stopped to talk to the media when most others would decline.

“That was probably some of my best golf I’ve played here.  Just wasn’t meant to be,” he said.

“Look, it is, of course it’s frustrating.  But it’s hard to take any positives from it right now, but at least I put myself in the position.  That’s all I wanted to do.  The last four years I’ve had top‑10s, but I haven’t been close enough to the lead.  Today I got myself there.  I didn’t quite do enough.  But, you know, come back again next year and try.”

But in saying that McIlroy remains determined to capture the Masters.

“Oh, yeah, 100 percent.  I’ve played in two final groups in the last seven years, I’ve had five top‑10s, I play this golf course well.  I just haven’t played it well enough at the right time,” he said.

But when asked what he would examine about his game that would serve him well in the future.

“Yeah, I mean, look, I can’t give you a good answer to that right now, because I’m just off the 18th green.  But I’ll sit down and reflect over the next few days and see what I could have potentially done better.

“More whether it be mindset or ‑‑ I don’t know, I just ‑‑ I just didn’t quite have it today.  I played some great golf yesterday.  I just didn’t continue that golf into today.

“I just wasn’t quite as trusting as I was the first few days.  That made a big difference.”

And he was asked regarding  his confidence on day three in shooting a 65 and what what was the difference today?

“I don’t know.  I had a decent warm up.  I had a bit of a shaky drive off the first, but it was a really good up and down for par.  And I hit some good shots out there.  It wasn’t as if I just didn’t ‑‑ again, there’s a lot of ‑‑ I feel like momentum is a huge thing, especially in final rounds,” he said

“You look at what Jordan and Rickie did.  They got on a roll and I didn’t.  Patrick and I didn’t at all.  We were both around even par, and just sort of grinding out there.  And it wasn’t quite what we both had in mind.  He just hung in there a little bit better than I did and got the job done.

“And I think when you’re playing in the final group of a major there’s always going to be pressure.  But after I parred the first, that sort of settled me down.  So it wasn’t as if nerves got to me.  I just didn’t quite have it.”