text: A lot of the attention on Sunday was aimed in the direction of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods who were paired up in the final round. McIlroy did his level best to repair the damage of a tentative opening 27 holes by shooting 31 for the back nine on Friday and following it with scores of 68 and 66 over the weekend. The world No 1 finished strongly, but the battle came too late to challenge long-time leader Jordan Spieth for the green jacket. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were paired together for the final day, but neither could mount a challenge . McIlroy is yet to win The Masters but his birdie at the last gave him a final round of 66 and elevated him into a fourth-place finish. Not what he was hoping for but a performance that suggests it won't be long until he adds a green jacket to his major collection. McIlroy, speaking on BBC Two after finishing 12 under: 'I played well. I've played well over the entire weekend, a disappointing finish yesterday... but there are a lot of positives to take from it. 'I didn't quite have enough and it doesn't look like anyone could have kept up with Jordan this week. Woods and McIlroy shake hands after playing their final round together at the Augusta National Golf Club . Woods and McIlroy share a joke during the final round of the 2015 Masters at Augusta . McIlroy hit a final round of 66 to finish on 12 under par in fourth place, six shots behind the eventual winner . Spieth rounded off a record-breaking week by winning the first major of his career with a four-shot victory in the Masters at Augusta. The 21-year-old American, who finished in a tie for second in 2014, held a four-shot lead heading into Sunday and never looked in trouble despite the efforts of the chasing pack led by Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose. Spieth led all week at Augusta, becoming the first man ever to reach 19 under par in the Masters before bogeying the 18th hole, and proudly collected the green jacket for the first time in his young career. Jordan Spieth won his first ever major title with victory at the Masters at Augusta on Sunday . His final round of 70 went along with his first three scores this week of 64, 66 and 70 to round off a stunning performance. And McIlroy admits he was beaten by the better man this week. 'If someone had told me I would finish 12 under at the start of the week I would have taken it and sat back and seen where I finished,' he said. 'Jordan started fantastically well and has kept his foot down and been really impressive.' The 21-year-old won the coveted green jacket for the first time in his career having finished runner up in 2014 .
target: Rory McIlroy finished strongly to finish an impressive fourth in Augusta .
  McIlroy did his best to repair the damage of a tentative opening 27 holes .
  But the battle came too late to challenge long-time leader Jordan Spieth .
  Spieth rounded off a record-breaking week by winning first major of career .
  READ: McIIroy and Justin Rose lead tributes to Spieth after Masters win .