Reed clings on for Green Jacket glory
Patrick Reed is the 2018 Masters champion after holding off Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. Keel Timmins wraps up the best of the final day’s action
What happened on the final day of The Masters?
Patrick Reed has never been viewed as being in the same sort of category as the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy. On Sunday at Augusta National, Reed put in the sort of performance that any one of those players would have been delighted with.
Passing through Amen Corner, Reed looked up to the leaderboard to see a resurgent Jordan Spieth charging, throwing birdie after birdie, making putt after putt. Spieth was a man on a mission, a man that was hell-bent on revenge after throwing away the Green Jacket only two years ago.
Many would have folded under the pressure, especially those in search of their first major championship, and more significantly, a Green Jacket.
But Reed didn’t blink. Make no mistake, this was an absolute master class in front-running.
The American, who certainly splits opinion, relied on his putter all day, rolling in huge putts on 12 and 14, as well as making gritty par saves throughout the day.
Of course, he’ll remember the two chunks of luck he had along the way. Firstly, after going for the green in two on 13, his ball came up slightly short, and rather than trickle down into Rae’s Creek, his ball somehow stayed on the bank.
And then on 17, after he pulled his approach short left, his lengthy putt was heading off the green only for the hole to get in the way. A short putt on 18 was left for the win, and just like the rest of the day, he held his nerve to knock it into the centre and claim his first major title.
The clinching putt.
Congratulations to @PReedGolf, 2018 #themasters Champion. pic.twitter.com/zEkWleSeRK
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 8, 2018
Patrick Reed reflects on the pressure of leading #TheMasters in the final round… pic.twitter.com/WeORFcwgBC
— National Club Golfer (@NCGmagazine) April 9, 2018
GB&I watch
The story heading into the day was Reed vs. Rory, a rematch of their sensational clash at the Ryder Cup in 2016. To put it bluntly, McIlroy was poor and looked iffy from the very first tee. His drive flailed right and was lucky to stay in bounds. He managed to save par, but after he missed a short putt for eagle on the 2nd, his race was, in hindsight, ultimately run.
No golf course in the world dishes out disappointment quite like Augusta National, and McIlroy was again on the receiving end of it.
Rory McIlroy reflects on another missed opportunity at #TheMasters… pic.twitter.com/wCsphtnnY1
— National Club Golfer (@NCGmagazine) April 9, 2018
McIlroy went on to finish tied for 5th, but there were big moves made elsewhere. Justin Rose played solidly on his way to a 12th place finish, but Paul Casey, who made the cut on the number on Friday, surged through the field after shooting a 65. He played Amen Corner in an incredible four-under.
Tommy Fleetwood was next best at 17th, while Matt Fitzpatrick, Ian Poulter and Tyrrell Hatton all finished outside of the top-30.
Click here for the full leaderboard
The talking points
Only the 18th hole got in the way of Jordan Spieth and the course record. Spieth’s putting troubles of late have been well-documented, but the normally reliable flat-stick heated up to unimaginable levels as the 24-year-old made seemingly everything. His drive on the 18th clipped a tree, with his ball not even reaching the fairway – and that was his race run.
Spieth: "I nearly did the impossible."
Who was rooting for Jordan on Sunday? pic.twitter.com/6hlmczLW8m
— National Club Golfer (@NCGmagazine) April 9, 2018
Rickie Fowler was Reed’s closest rival. The popular American looked to have taken himself out of the running with a nondescript front-nine, but he made four birdies coming in, including the 18th to make Reed’s final putt a knee-knocker.
Will Rickie Fowler win a major? He says he's ready… pic.twitter.com/c0STzszQh6
— National Club Golfer (@NCGmagazine) April 9, 2018
Jon Rahm was also well in contention until fading away after bogeying the par-5 15th. James Savage and Mark Townsend discuss if the Spaniard needs to grow up if he’s to have major success.
We had been waiting for an ace, and the 16th hole delivered yet again. Step forward Charley Hoffman…
.@hoffman_charley aces No. 16 for the first hole-in-one of the Tournament. #themasters pic.twitter.com/xezbJ0cslf
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 8, 2018
Best stats
.@PReedGolf is the 1st player to win #TheMasters the year after finishing runner-up at PGA Championship since Jack Nicklaus in 1975.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) April 8, 2018
Spieth becomes 7th player in #themasters history to shoot 64 in final round, joining …
Maurice Bembridge (1974)
Hale Irwin (1975)
Gary Player (1978)
Greg Norman (1988)
David Toms (1998)
Bo Van Pelt (2012)— Mike McAllister (@PGATOUR_mikemc) April 8, 2018
Jordan Spieth's career at #theMasters
2014: T2
2015: 1st
2016: T2
2017: T11
2018: 3rd pic.twitter.com/jSsCOuHIgD— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 8, 2018
Jordan Spieth is the first player in Masters history to finish 3rd or better in four of his first five career starts.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) April 8, 2018
Two players since 1970 have won #TheMasters the year after missing the cut: Tiger Woods in 1997 and Patrick Reed in 2018.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) April 8, 2018
Quotes of the day
Any time you are trying to close off a golf tournament is really hard, but to close off your first major, and at a place that is so close your heart, is even harder. I knew the lead would shrink at times and the lead could grow at others. Those are just the flows of golf and you need to know how to handle it. The only way I felt I could get that done was to make sure the putter was working.
– Patrick Reed
I think 100% I can come back and win here. Whether it be mindset or whatever, I just didn’t quite have it today. The putter let me down a little bit, I just wasn’t quite as trusting as I was the first few days and that made a big difference.
– Rory McIlroy
Generally after this tournament, I put away the clubs for a while. I usually take three to four weeks off, through my entire career, and usually the clubs are put in the closet, and I just kind of get away for a while. The run-up to this event is pretty hard and pretty grueling. I pushed myself pretty hard to get ready. And I peaked at it four times over the course of my career, and it’s tiring.
– Tiger Woods
Reminder: @JordanSpieth was 9 back at one point today.
He tied the lead before finishing just 2 back. #theMasters pic.twitter.com/UfT1XfpCu7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 8, 2018
Betting update
Click here to read our resident tipster Steve Carroll’s hilarious account of his highs and lows watching the players he backed to win The Masters on Sunday.
What’s in Reed’s winning bag?
Has your stance on Tiger’s major chances changed?
McIlroy’s Augusta demons return to haunt him
Click here for more from NCG at The Masters
Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
