AUGUSTA, Ga. — At the last hole, Guan Tianlang retrieved his ball from the cup after ending his first Masters with his 48th par. The fans ringing the 18th green gave him a standing ovation. They no doubt were thinking that they had not seen the last of Guan, a 14-year-old from China who finished as the low amateur.

He carded rounds of 73-75-77-75 at Augusta National Golf Club for a total of 12-over 300. In four days on what he described as “the most difficult course in the world,” Guan did not have a double bogey.

“It’s not easy to play here, to make the cut and be low amateur,” Guan said. “I think I did a pretty good job this week and can’t believe it’s over.”

Guan, who finished 58th, assessed his play: “I think the first couple rounds I played pretty good. I feel a little bit tired today. So, yeah, there’s still a lot of things to improve. My short game’s good, but still needs to be better. My driver probably needs to be longer. Yes, I mean, everything needs to improve.”

Guan’s playing partner Sunday was Sandy Lyle, the 1988 champion and his senior by 41 years. Lyle seemed to relish the chance to play with Guan.

“It was very interesting to see,” he said. “He hits the ball quite a reasonable distance at the moment and remember, he’s only 14. Short game is very good.”

Asked what he would like to accomplish in the coming years, Guan said: “I have my own idea and my own opinions. I want to play where I can get more opportunities, and it’s totally up to me.”

Mickelson’s lost weekend

Phil Mickelson’s Masters was done before the fourth round began for the last 18 players in the field. For only the fifth time in 21 appearances at Augusta National, Mickelson did not post a sub-70 round. With scores of 71-76-77-73, Mickelson, a three-time champion, finished in a tie for 54th, in a group with Sandy Lyle, Keegan Bradley and Scott Piercy at 9-over 297.

It was his worst placing in 20 four-round appearances. Mickelson has missed the cut once, in 1997.

“I just had an off-year, I don’t know what to tell you,” said Mickelson, who won a PGA Tour event in January in Scottsdale, Ariz. “I played poorly.”

Mickelson, who had three double bogeys in the four rounds, usually plays the tour stop in Houston the week before the Masters to sharpen his game. That tournament was held a week earlier this year, giving Mickelson a rare week off before traveling here.

“The things I did last week to get ready, I just wasn’t as mentally sharp as I needed to be,” he said. “I’ve got to find another way to get ready for big events if I’m not able to compete the week before.”

Snedeker sees positives

Brandt Snedeker lost another good chance to win the Masters, but in contrast with 2008, when he broke down in tears at a news conference after finishing third, he was philosophical and looking forward.

“It’s different; I’m not as crushed as I was in 2008 because I know I’m going to be there again,” he said. “I know this golf course so well and I putted about as poorly as I could today, and I still had a chance on the back nine. So while I’m very disappointed that I didn’t win, I realize that I’m not that far off from winning this thing. I’m going to do it soon.”

Like Tiger Woods and other players, Snedeker said he was undone by the speed of the greens, which the players said felt much slower than they had been Saturday.

“On the back nine, I could not get a putt to the hole, no matter what I did,” Snedeker said. “If you watch me play, I never leave putts short. And today, I probably left every putt short coming in. I didn’t make the adjustment that you got to make.”

A 10, times two

Starting the day 11 strokes behind the leaders, Kevin Na figured he had nothing to lose. So he went for a high-risk, high-reward shot on the 12th hole, a 155-yard par-3. Na took aim at the pin, which was hugging the right collar of the green, and hit his first 8-iron into Rae’s Creek. His second and third shots, with the 8-iron, also ended up in the water. Na ended up two-putting for a 10 on his way to an 81.

“I’m in the back of the field, I was trying to make a 1,” Na said, adding, “I was trying to pull off a shot that’s maybe a low-percentage shot.”

Na gained notice in 2011 when he made a 16 at a par 4 during the tour stop in San Antonio without losing his ball or hitting it in a hazard.

Na’s expression brightened when he learned that Bubba Watson, the defending champion, also took a 10 at No. 12 Sunday. “He did?” Na said. “Really?”