The six-time Masters Tournament champion shot his highest competitive round ever at Augusta National on Saturday, finishing with a 9-over 81 as high winds raked the course.

The 60-year-old Nicklaus, who posted a 44 on the back nine as winds gusted more than 40 mph, insisted he hit the ball solid the whole day.

``I mis-hit one golf shot on the back nine,'' Nicklaus said of his tee shot on the par-3 16th. ``And I made par on that hole.''

Nicklaus turned the front in 1-over 37. Then, disaster struck on the back. A bogey at the 10th, followed by a triple bogey at the 12th. Bogeys at the 13th, 14th, 17th and 18th followed.

Nicklaus was in contention after shooting rounds of 74 and 70 to start the tournament. Then he ran into trouble at the dangerous 12th, where he hit a 6-iron into the back bunker, left his second shot in the bunker, blasted out and three-putted for a six.

``My golf tournament ended right there,'' Nicklaus said.

On the next hole, the par-5 13th, Nicklaus had 199 yards to the pin. He ``nailed'' a 3-iron that wound up in the creek guarding the green.

``It looked like someone put a wall up,'' Nicklaus said of the wind gust that put his ball in trouble.

Coming into his 41st Masters, Nicklaus was the career scoring leader for players with 100 or more rounds. His average score was 71.64 through 151 rounds.

His best round, an 8-under 64, came in 1965. His previous worst, a 7-over 79, came in 1967, when he was the two-time defending champion.

The conditions Saturday resembled a British Open more than the Masters. The Golden Bear won three British titles, finishing as a runner-up in that event seven times.

But Nicklaus took the high score in good spirits.

``I played myself out of it,'' he said. ``I'm not as good a player as I used to be.''