Patrick Reed held on to win the 82nd MASTERS on a cool Sunday in Augusta with a 1-under par score of 71. The weight of history buckled his knees a few times but he always had an answer and in the end he was the last man standing at fifteen under 273, one stroke better than late charging Rickie Fowler.
The weight of golf immortality proved a bigger burden for Irishman Rory McIlroy. It must have weighed a ton, at least, or that’s how it seemed, as Rory slumped through this round, in his fourth attempt to close out the career grand slam. His opening tee shot nearly left the property, sailing well right into the pines, close to the OB boundary. When he managed to salvage par, you thought, OK, a good drive on #2 and the ship is righted. But it wasn’t, even with a laser drive and a beautiful iron shot to 6 feet for eagle at the par five #2. A missed eagle chance looked like a portent of more disappointment to come. And it was.
The self inflicted damage continued when Rory hits a 121 hard wedge to #3 green but fails to hold the front of the green. Reed holed his slick down hill putt from the back fringe, Rory misses his par saver and the lead is back to three, with his energy visibly ebbing. A birdie 2 at the treacherous par three fourth hole should have jump started his game but he followed that with bogey on #5. He didn’t card another birdie until #13, by that time he was merely Reed’s scoring partner.
Although the head to head competition we all craved from these past Ryder Cup antagonists didn’t pan out, a bunch of chasers were making some noise out in front of them.
One of the old guys in the tournament, forty something Paul Casey was making his own bid for history. The win was out of reach but breaking the record MASTERS score of 63 was within his grasp. Casey carded three front side birdies, then went hog wild shooting 6-under in the five hole stretch of #11 through #16! He played Amen Corner in 4-under par. Two finishing bogey’s ended his round on a 65, 5-under total, tied 15th.
Casey was eclipsed a little later by Jordan Spieth, who went out in 31 and carried his hot hand through the back side until #18, where bogey robbed him and us of a bit of history. The shot of his day was a hybrid from the pine straw right of the 13th fairway that found the green and gave him a tricky 16 footer for eagle. Which didn’t go in, might have made the difference. A third place finish with 64 wasn’t a bad day’s work for a guy who started the round 9 shots off the lead.
As Reed padded his lead with a birdie on #14, Rickie Fowler was mounting the last chance charge just one group ahead, with birdie 4 at #15, and then a finishing 3 at #18. In the end Rickie was once again a bridesmaid, unable to get that first major.
Reed was in full bulldog fashion by then, roughing out four closing pars on #15 through #18. His two putt on 17 epitomized his round, and his week, as he rattled an 85 footer off the stick. He putted lights out all week and it won him a green jacket.
Captain America once again took down Europe’s finest. Keep that form going in Paris.
Does green clash with Red, White and Blue?
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