AUGUSTA, GA. – Brandt Snedeker spoke with uncommon confidence Saturday night, after securing a spot in the last pairing on Sunday at the Masters.

He said he had spent his entire life preparing for this moment, that he intended to win and would be unsatisfied with less. By late Sunday afternoon, he had for the second time in six years fallen off the pace in the last round at the Masters. He shot a 75, the worst score among the contenders, to finish five shots off the lead.

"The last Masters I ended in tears, and now my daughter's crying,| so I guess we're just tearful," Snedeker said. "It's just a tough day."

Snedeker shot an even-par 36 on the front nine but missed a short par putt at the 10th and bogeyed the 11th. He saved par at the 13th after trying to reach the green in two and falling short, his ball landing in Rae's Creek. After that approach, he stood in the fairway, seemingly trying to snap his fairway wood.

"That one really made me mad," he said. "I knew that 13, 15 and 16, where the pin was, that I had a lot of birdie opportunities left and I was just disappointed with the way I hit that shot. I know you can't hit it over there."

He bogeyed the 14th and knew he had failed.

In 2008, he played in the last group with Trevor Immelman and shot a 77, finishing four off the lead.

"It's different," he said. "I'm not as crushed as I was in 2008 because I know I'm going to be there again. I know this golf course so well and I putted about as poorly as I could today and I still had a chance on the back nine.

"I'm very disappointed that I didn't win, but I realize that I'm not that far off from winning this thing. I'm going to do it soon. I fully expect to be in contention for the U.S. Open. I know my game can hold up to it. I know I was close today. I'm ready to go do it."

As Adam Scott proved on Sunday, failures in major tournaments can be springboards.