TOMMY FLEETWOOD admits it was "weird" to be disappointed with a third round of 66 after his Masters birdie blitz.
Fleetwood's round contained seven birdies, including five in a row from the 12th, with the only blemish a three-putt bogey from long range on the 18th.
The Englishman, 27, now goes into Sunday's final round tied for sixth spot, eight shots back from leader Patrick Reed.
Fleetwood said:"It's a bit weird walking off disappointed with a 66.
I played great on the front nine without holing any putts and after misjudging a short one on 11 it was nice to getting something going after that.
"Today was just about doing the best I could, my first weekend at Augusta and I wasn't thinking about the lead at all. I got a lot closer and it was nice to play the last few holes with a bit of adrenaline, but there's nothing you can do about the other guys.
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"The course was playing a lot easier. The greens were pretty soft and the wind was not really blowing very hard. If there was ever a day to shoot a good round here, this was it."
Fleetwood won twice on the European Tour last season on his way to claiming the Race to Dubai title, and also finished fourth in the US Open.
Now he is determined to taste even more success.
He added:"If you look at steps in your career, I'm trying to win consistently in Europe.
"I've come over and played in America this year a bit more, and I guess I want to win in America.
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"And getting up there on the leaderboards in majors, I'm guessing that comes before winning one, most of the time. I'm on the right track and I've just got to keep improving.
"Majors are the toughest tests and that's where your game gets found out most of the time.
"If you can perform and have confidence on the major courses, it's going to help you all the way through no matter what you're doing."
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