2018 Masters: McIlroy Disappoints, Spieth Surprises While Reed Defends His Lead
As always, the Masters didn’t disappoint, but did it live up to all of the hype on Sunday?
There were plenty of storylines heading into Sunday’s final-round of the 82nd Masters, but at the end of the day, the only one that truly counts is Patrick Reed winning his first career major.
The American defended his lead while holding off the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth before ultimately grabbing the green jacket besting Rickie Fowler by one stroke.
Heading into Sunday, the only narrative that was being spun was the McIlroy vs. Reed showdown much to the thanks of their battle at the 2016 Ryder Cup. The battle on this Sunday lasted fewer than nine holes however after McIlroy’s putter failed him throughout the opening nine and the entirety of the round while Reed bounced back after every mistake. At the turn, Reed held a four-shot lead over McIlroy.
McIlroy was disappointing all afternoon after the opening two holes. He made an exceptional par on number one after missing the fairway right by 100 yards then stuck one to six feet on number two for eagle before pushing his putt wide.
Reed made the turn at even par for the day while McIlroy was one over par on the afternoon.
While we (and the CBS live broadcast) were all entrenched in the final pairing, Jordan Spieth was making Augusta National look like a chip and putt course as he played the front nine at five-under. The former champion had everything clicking, especially the putter, as he dominated the opening nine holes.
Things were set to be interesting on the back-nine as they always are at Augusta.
Spieth went long on the par three 12th and gave a gesture to the patrons after clearing the water on the hole that has given him fits in the past. The former Texas Longhorn then went on to sink his birdie putt from just off the green.
Reed, who was two holes behind Spieth, did the exact same thing on №12 as he birdied the hole for the first time all week.
The par five 13th approach shot was waiting and it ultimately decided the tournament.
Spieth hit an absolutely absurd shot from the pinestraw with a hybrid, but missed his eagle chance.
Reed’s approach shortly thereafter came up short, but stayed on the slope and out of Rae’s Creek before he eventually made an easy par.
While all of this was going on with Reed, Spieth was busy draining a lengthy birdie putt on the par three 16th to tie Reed atop the leaderboard.
Spieth’s spot alongside Reed on the leaderboard didn’t last long however as Reed answered right back with a birdie on №14 for his last of the day before he and his reliable flat stick claimed the victory.
Fowler made things interesting down the stretch by making birdie on the last to get to within one shot of Reed, but a casual two putt from Reed gave him his green jacket at 15-under par.
Reed not only earned his first major title, but with the win, he’ll also receive a $1.98 million paycheck.
Augusta National always throws us something new each and every year that we’re not expecting.
A majority of fans watching were set to see McIlroy claim his first green jacket and the career Grand Slam, but instead we didn’t see much at all from the Northern Ireland native.
Spieth entered Sunday completely out of everyone’s minds as far as contending goes, but after torching the front-nine and sinking gigantic putts down the stretch he was right there as he has been throughout his career at Augusta.
Every year is also the same however in the fact that this four-day stretch goes by faster than any four-day stretch in all of sports. It’s because we all sink in every second of the action, but now we’re 361 days until the 83rd playing of the Masters.
Some Random Notes:
- Sure, you may not like Patrick Reed and it was clear around the course that many patrons were cheering against him, but come on, he proved himself on Sunday. He’s one of the toughest competitors in big-time situations in the game. We’ve got this example now and the Ryder Cup.
- Alright then, Paul Casey. He was one of the favorites heading into the weeks and while he was way out of it on Sunday, he fired a smooth 65 with bogeys on each of his final two holes. Are you serious?
- Cameron Smith is that dude. First of all, the Australian is sponsored by Penguin and was even rockin’ white pants with the penguin logo on the heel today, but he also fired a six-under 66 on Sunday which came one day removed from shooting 70 on Saturday with four birdies. That was good enough for a T-5 finish, by the way. A future major champion in the making? He’s got the nod from me.
- The broadcast disappointed. We didn’t get live coverage of Spieth during his bizarre run until after 13. He had a huge discussion with his caddie leading up to his approach shot on the par five that CBS decided not to air. Cool.
- Last but not least, Jon Rahm showed us a lot all afternoon. In my opinion, he was a shot or two away from maybe sneaking into a playoff. Let’s not forget he doesn’t even turn 24-year-old until November. He’s going to be scary for the next 20 years.
