McIlroy ends Augusta debut with birdie bonanza

AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - British teenager Rory McIlroy ended his U.S. Masters debut in dynamic style by posting six birdies in 10 holes for a closing two-under 70 on Sunday.

"It was a lovely way to end the week," the 19-year-old told reporters after finishing on two-under 286 at Augusta National. "Six-under for the last 10 holes was pretty nice.

"Overall I haven't played as well as I would have wanted but it is a pretty respectable finish. It has been a great week."

McIlroy, who won the Dubai Desert Classic in February and has surged to 17th in the world rankings, got caught up in the final-round excitement despite being well adrift of the leaders.

"I looked up at the leaderboard and saw Phil (Mickelson) had got to nine under after seven holes and was laughing, thinking this would be great to watch on TV," said the young Northern Irishman.

LITTLE BETTER

McIlroy, tipped as a future world number one, said he gained a lot from his debut at the season's first major.

"It has been a good first Masters for me but I was hoping to do a little better and hopefully I can do better in the final three majors of the year," he said.

"I have got to know the course so much better and when I come back next year I will know it.

"I have learned not to dance in the bunker," McIlroy said in a joking reference to the 18th hole on Friday when he kicked the sand with his foot, raising doubts whether he had illegally tested the surface.

McIlroy was cleared of infringing the rules but the triple-bogey seven he took at the hole jolted his title hopes.

"If I could have finished on Friday the way I did today I would still be out there," he said. "It is all part of the learning curve.

"I have hopefully got a lot more Masters to play and if I get in that position again I will hopefully know what to do."

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)