If ever there was a player who wants to pick up exactly where he left off at the Masters it is Britain's Luke Donald.

Tiger Woods was the winner 12 months ago, of course, but only in a play-off after bogeying the 71st and 72nd holes.

Donald finished the strongest of anyone in the field, two eagles and two birdies in his last eight holes catapulting him into a tie for third place - and this on his very first appearance at Augusta National.

In the previous 68 years there had been only four better performances by a Masters debutant.

And it understandably left the 28-year-old from High Wycombe eagerly looking forward to another chance to take on the most thrilling golf course known to man.

"You just get those moments when you feel like you are going to hit the shots how you want and nothing can go wrong," Donald told PA Sport.

"When I finished I thought I might end up fifth or sixth, but everything worked out in my favour. Coming third made it feel even more special.

"The week was everything I hoped it would be. It's been said before I know, but the course is a lot more hilly than it appears on television and the atmosphere was tremendous - exactly how you picture it."

Donald, who just two weeks earlier had finished joint second in the Players Championship, was only one behind leader DiMarco after his opening 68.

A second-round 77 was therefore bitterly disappointing, but while it effectively ruined his dream of becoming the first debutant winner since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 - and he was the first since Gene Sarazen in 1935 - Donald came back with two 69s.

"You can always wonder 'What if?', but if someone had given me three rounds in the 60s on my debut I'd have taken it," he added.

A double-bogey six on the 10th on the final day was followed by a simply sensational run.

"The motto was 'Never give up'. I chipped in at the 11th, holed from about 20 feet on 13, chipped in again at the 15th and on 16 must have been close to a one."

Even when he drove into the trees on the last and was forced to chip out he then struck an eight iron to seven feet and saved his par.

Now, with more wins in America under his belt, he is ready to try to go even better.

Donald accepts stretching the course to 7,445 yards does him no favours, but his confidence is such that he stated: "I think I am going to have a chance on any course if I am playing well.

"The extra length is going to make it harder, but accuracy is very important at Augusta."

Comparisons have inevitably been drawn between the way he goes about his business and the style that brought Nick Faldo three Masters and three Opens.

"Well, if I'm compared with him then I think I'm doing a good job. He was obviously the best player in the world for a number of years," he added.

"He just worked so hard at his golf to the point where he was so confident about it. I'm hopefully going to get close to that.

"I think Britain's restless for a major winner, that's for sure, and I'm going to try to do my best to remedy that.

"The British media really support you when you're doing well, but sometimes they can be hard on you when you're not playing so great.

"They're always looking for that next star to come up and be, I guess, a great, what's the word, icon, for England or whatever.

"You know, I don't really pay too much attention. I'm just trying to go out there and do the best I can. I feel like I'm on the right track to meet my goals and keep improving."