Luke Donald doesn't mean to come across as brash when he says he expects to win the Masters Tournament this week.

Spectators watch Luke Donald during Monday's practice round. The Englishman is making his second appearance at the "No point coming here if I don't feel and expect to have a good chance to win," he said. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

As his game has improved steadily, though, he has felt the need to aim higher.

"I'm upping my goals now, and finishing in the top 10 is great, but I think I want to do more than that," Donald said Monday. "No point coming here if I don't feel and expect to have a good chance to win. ... The next step is to compete and win majors."

He tied for third last spring in his debut at Augusta National Golf Club, sits ninth in the world ranking and is coming off a 10th-place showing at the BellSouth Classic after a final-round 66 on Sunday.

Donald, a 28-year-old Englishman who grew up watching Nick Faldo win green jackets, said one of the main reasons he played so well in his first trip to Augusta last year was the novelty of the experience.

"It was my first year here, and I was just truly looking forward and excited and felt like, 'At last. I've made it to the Masters,'" Donald said. He said he's going to try to be as excited this year. "It's an unbelievable place to come and play."

Not long off the tee (155th in driving distance) but accurate (16th in driving accuracy), Donald is a strong iron player - as was Faldo in his prime - with the temperament to win big tournaments.

"He's not a power player, but his hallmark is his rhythm," said Faldo, a three-time Masters winner. "On paper it looks like he'll have a tougher time (on the lengthened Augusta National), but he's accurate, and he does well on the courses that favor that. If it's dry, he'll be fine."

Trying to become the first European player to win a major since Paul Lawrie at the 1999 British Open, Donald said he likes the way Augusta National appeals to his eye.

"Ever since I came here last year, I felt like this was a good golf course for me," he said.

Donald said that as a child, he watched the Masters on television.

"I grew up around the era when (Faldo) was at the top of his game and he was No. 1 and winning these majors," Donald said. "I grew up watching that on TV and having him as an inspiration because of that.

"He was the best player in the world and the best player in England. And being English, of course, I watched him growing up, and watching him kind of inspired me to try to become a better player, that's for sure."

Faldo said he'll be pulling for Donald if he makes another surprising run in his second appearance.

"I pull for all my home guys," Faldo said. "I want them to do their stuff out here.

"And Luke, he's been living in America (Chicago) for a long time now, so that has probably helped him. He doesn't have to live with all the jet lag."

Jet lag won't be a problem at Augusta National for Donald, who made just a two-hour trip down the interstate after last week's tournament in Atlanta.

"That I-20 is a pretty straight road," Donald said. "It's not the most interesting highway I've ever been on."

But it led to an improbable top-5 finish in 2005.

Last year, Donald opened with 68 but followed with a second-round 77. He finished strong, closing with a pair of 69s.

That effort, paired with his victory at the Honda Classic in March, propelled him into the world's top 10. Now, after his play at the BellSouth, he's ready to be in contention at Augusta again.

"I feel like I have a good game for majors, and I have every chance if I'm playing good golf," Donald said. "If I do that, I have every chance to compete and win. So I'm definitely not coming here just to put up numbers. I'm trying to win."

Reach Steve Sanders at (706) 823-3216 or steven.l.sanders@augustachronicle.com.