Not in his wildest dreams could Martin Laird have dreamed of playing on the final day of his first Masters in the company of Tiger Woods.

Woods drove the Augusta National fans into an absolute frenzy piling on an eagle and five birdies to ignite hopes of a fifth Masters green jacket.

For all his work in carding a final round 67, Woods finished four strokes adrift of South African Charl Schwartzel, who celebrated the 50th anniversary of compatriot Gary Player’s first Masters victory by birdieing his closing four holes in a score of 66.

The 28-year old Schwartzel, inspired by Louis Oosthuizen’s Open Championship triumph, is the third South African to be fitted for the Augusta green jacket and the second in the past four years after Trevor Immelman won in 2008.

It’s said the Masters doesn’t begin to the back nine in Sunday but, for Rory McIlroy, what followed was a meltdown not seen since Greg Norman led by six going into the last day in ’86 and lost by five. McIlroy put his tee shot at 10 in between the Peek and Berckman cabin’s to the left before walking off with a triple bogey.

He then horribly three-putted the next for bogey, four putted the 12th for a double and managed to save par from Rae’s Creek at 13 for an eventual eight-over par 80 and a distant share of 15th place at five under par.

Laird confirmed it was the first time the Glasgow-born played had competed in the company of the former long-time World No. 1. But for the most part, and without taking anything away from Laird’s final round 73 and his four-under par tally on debut, he was more like a passenger aboard a Woods-driven steam train.

“It was a lot of fun as it was a lot of fun, playing with Tiger on Sunday at Augusta when he’s making a charge up the leader board,” said Laird.

“It doesn’t get much better than that in my first time at Augusta, and the first time playing alongside Tiger. “Some call it madness, but I wouldn’t call it madness. It was a lot of fun. His golf swing was good and he some of the best shots you’ll ever see today.

“But the atmosphere was unbelievable. The crowds were just great out here, and as I said, when you’re playing with Tiger on Sunday and he’s making a charge up the leaderboard, it doesn’t get much better.

“It’s just that I’m a little disappointed in how I played but overall I’m very with my week.”

Woods was in the clubhouse at 10-under par 67 but could look back to a sloppy three-putt bogey at the par three, 12th hole and taking a par on the 13th, and on a hole he’s 41-under in Masters competition, as continuing his 17-month winless drought.

There was the strange suggestion from CBS analyst and former Open Champion, Ian Baker-Finch, that the time Laird took in three-putting the 12th ahead of Woods, resulted in distracting Woods long enough so that he also three-putted.

But Woods blamed himself. “I pulled that second putt on 12 and then blocked my second into 13, so that’s about it,” said Woods. “It’s a little frustrating as I could have been two, three, four under on the back nine, so not capitalising some more was disappointing.”

“But I hit it good all day. This entire weekend I hit it good. So that was a nice feeling.”

Laird heads to this week’s Valero Texas Open, where Augusta runner-up Scott defends, certainly buoyed by his top-20 finish in a first appearance at Augusta. Laird and Woods started at five-under par in the hot and very humid conditions but after the pair shook hands, and wished each other well, that’s the closest Laird got to Woods all day. Four-and-a-half hours later, Laird again shook hands with Woods.

Laird’s final round was a mix of three birdies at the second, 11th and 15th holes but also five bogeys and among them dropped shots at 10th, 12th and the 14th. “The last hole where I just missed my birdie sort of summed up my week,” he said. “I didn’t hit a very good tee shot, hit a good second shot and then hit a good putt, it just went over the edge.

“I had that happen all day today, just didn’t make anything really. You know, and didn’t drive the ball great again.

“It doesn’t feel like I played my best this week and finished 20th, so that’s obviously a sign that my game is in the right spot. It’s just takes time.”