Adam Scott quietly put together a solid Masters Tournament.

The first-time participant made four birdies on the back nine Sunday en route to a final-round 70. Scott fired rounds of 71-72-72 entering the final 18 holes and finished tied for ninth place at 3-under par. As one of the top 16 finishers, Scott has qualified for next year's Masters.

"It was a good week," the 21-year-old said. "My goal was to shoot in the 60s. My goal was to get my name on the leaderboard. I think I can build from here."

Scott, of Hope Island, Australia, was the only first-time participant this year to finish in the top 16. He entered the Masters sixth on the nonmember earnings list ($137,442, four events) on the PGA Tour.

Familiar places

Angel Cabrera posted his second top-10 finish in the Masters in as many years. The 32-year-old Argentine shot a 73 to finish at 3-under par.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, like Cabrera, had his second top-10 finish in the past two years. The 38-year-old Spaniard closed with a 70 to tie for ninth at 3-under par.

Priceless

Nick Price just wanted to win his age group Sunday. Price closed with a 73 and finished tied for 20th at 1-over par.

"Did I win the over-40 group?" the 45-year-old Price asked.

Actually, no. Brad Faxon , 41, shot a 71 and tied for 12th at 2-under par to win the over-40 age group. Three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo , 44, finished one shot behind Faxon after a final-round 72.

Faldo had his best finish here since winning the Masters in 1996.

"I've done some good things this week," Faldo said. "This is a good test. The pressure at the Masters is quite a lot. I've learned a lot from playing pressure shots."

Change of heart

Jesper Parnevik slammed a five-foot birdie attempt four feet past the hole on No. 1 and did something unusual. He switched putters.

Parnevik made par and closed with a 72. He finished 3-over for the tournament.

"I struggled the first three days (with putting)," he said. "I had three or four three-putts and four-putted 16. When you lose confidence on these greens, it's hard to get it back."

Parnevik carried two putters and took the 3-iron out of his bag. He figured he wouldn't need the club.

"The typical thing was we had three 3-iron shots on the back nine," he said. "We didn't think we were going to use it. But 11 played hard into the wind; 230 to the pin there. It was 3-iron on 13 and 15 as well."

With the whiff

After catching a whiff of the grounds Saturday, David Toms didn't think the malodorous walkways surrounding the fairways and greens would smell as bad Sunday. Wrong.

The rains Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning mixed up the fertilizer and drying agents, creating a stench bemoaned by golfers and patrons alike.

"Anytime you get thousands of people walking around in the mud, it's not going to smell good," Toms said. "I figured they'd come out today and napalm it with perfume."

Doubling up

Fred Couples nearly became the second person in tournament history to double eagle No. 15. The 1992 Masters champion smacked a 227-yard, 2-iron shot one foot from the pin.

"It must have been close," said Couples, who made the eagle putt and shot a final-round 72. "When I got on the green, it looked close."

Gene Sarazen hit "the shot heard round the world" when he made double eagle on the par-5 15th hole to force a tie in the 1935 Masters, which he won in a playoff. Sarazen, along with Bruce Devlin (1967, No. 8) and Jeff Maggert (1994, No. 13), are the only players to make a double eagle at the Masters.

Going low

Shigeki Maruyama blistered the course Sunday with a final-round 67. The 32-year-old Japanese golfer had five birdies and no bogeys and tied for 14th at 1-under par - his best Masters finish in five appearances.

"After I made the cut, I was only aiming for the pin," Maruyama said. "I was attacking it today. It was great."

Fan support

Colin Montgomerie, who has been a target of American hecklers in years past, was well-received by Masters patrons. The 38-year-old Scottish golfer carded a 71 and tied for 14th at 1-under par.

"They support golf here," Montgomerie said. "They understand and respect, which is nice."

Montgomerie wasn't the only golfer receiving gracious support from the crowds. John Daly shot a 75 and finished at 4-over par, but received a loud ovation at the No. 18 green.

"It's wonderful," Daly said. "They've never given up on me."

On the outside

Thomas Bjorn's roller coaster ride in Augusta ended on a down slope. The 31-year-old Danish golfer made six bogeys en route to a closing 77 on Sunday. He finished at even-par for the event, one shot away from qualifying for a return trip to the 2003 Masters.

"You know the way the pins are you can't make too many birdies," Bjorn said. "So you make mistakes."