Patrick Reed managed to stave off the likes of Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and more to obtain his first Masters title and first green jacket. The 27-year-old played a quiet first round (still a great round, but muted amongst his peers) but exploded in the in the remaining three to clinch the title. Reed is the fourth consecutive first-time champion following Spieth, Danny Willet and most recently Sergio Garcia. He finished 15-under 273, an outcome that none of the golf betting lines.
The final round was a signature Masters conclusion and an exciting installment of the famous golf legacy. Reed was atop the leaderboard with a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy. McIlroy seemed like he was about to overtake Reed, however he had some setbacks early on that he never recovered from. McIlroy’s main issues came with putting, which can make or break a day on the course.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the Masters’ conclusion was Jordan Spieth. Spieth dominated the first round but began to falter. He started the final round in 9th place and had a seemingly insurmountable hill to climb. However, the 2015 Masters Champion kept hitting birdies and found his way up the leaderboard. In all honesty, if there were more holes on the course Spieth would have likely caught Reed and won his second Masters. Reed is aware of this as well and was quoted saying how he was glad Spieth ran out of chances.
Another golfer to make a late surge was Rickie Fowler. Fowler played an incredible final round and moved within one shot of Reed. Fowler was four under in the final seven holes and birdied on the 18th. This forced Reed into a situation where he needed to make par, which is what he did.
On top of repelling these great players, Reed had to overcome the mental factor. McIlroy applied some pressure in press conferences where he cited Reed’s poor record at majors. He basically put all the pressure on Reed to finish in hopes that he would cave under it. Reed also had to deal with the backlash he received from fans. No one really wanted to see him win. You could hear the disdain of the crowd with each shot he sank, especially towards the end.
Reed does have a questionable background with some college antics and what is described as a cocky attitude, but he proved all the doubters wrong with his performance down the stretch. Reed played at Augusta College, right near the Augusta National Golf Course, though he is no local favorite. He also has to deal with an estranged family. For Reed, it is about golf, not all the outside noise. He kept his head down and fought off some of golf’s greatest.
He was nowhere on the radar of Masters betting analysts, but Reed came through when it mattered most. Perhaps this win will get him more of a nod from oddsmakers next time. In any case, it was an exciting fixture and was a strong display of the future of the sport.