Rickie Fowler feels more prepared for Masters

Looking back on the final round of last year’s Masters Tournament, Rickie Fowler made a blunt observation Tuesday.

“I never really settled in,” he said. “I was never completely comfortable.”

Fowler trailed Bubba Wat­son and Jordan Spieth by two strokes heading into Sun­day but closed with 73. He finished six strokes behind Watson and tied for fifth with Matt Kuchar.

After the Masters, Fowler went on to finish in the top five of the final three major championships.

“My comfort level in the majors continued to grow, and then at the PGA, I was ready to go,” Fowler said. “I just didn’t get the back nine that I wanted.”

Despite his admitted struggles to start the 2015 season, Fowler says he’s “really pleased” with his progress.

Last week, Fowler spent multiple days at Augusta Na­tio­nal Golf Club and believes his game is falling into place.

“I’m ready for this week,“ he said. “I got some good work in over the weekend, and the past couple days here, and I’m really, really pleased with where my game’s at. It just hasn’t really shown yet in tournament play.

“I’m excited for this week and excited to be back into the heat of things and at the majors.”

Fowler played a practice round Tuesday alongside Phil Mickel­son, Brandt Snedeker and Dustin Johnson.

On Thursday, Fowler will tee off in the final pairing (1:59 p.m.) with Jason Day and Sergio Garcia.

“Coming back to Augusta, I just keep getting more and more comfortable with the golf course,” Fowler said.

He raved about the tradition of the tournament Tuesday, saying, “Every time I drive down Magnolia Lane it’s special.”

He also spoke about the enjoyment he gets in being able to use imagination around the greens.

“I seem to see these lines very well,” he said. “I like being able to draw up and see what the ball is going to do before I hit it. That being said, there are times when you get to be aggressive out here, but there are a lot of occasions where you’re playing defense and just trying not to three-putt.”