Majors Graduation Day For Patrick Reed Winning Maiden Masters.

6 years ago by Comments Off on Majors Graduation Day For Patrick Reed Winning Maiden Masters.

Augusta, GA ….

Rory McIlroy has again seen his Masters glory hopes dashed and reopening the scars of seven years ago with an awful putting display at Augusta National.

McIlroy’s goal of joining golf’s Grand Slam club was dashed by a final round 74 and losing by six shots in tumbling down the board to share  fifth place behind new Masters champion, Patrick Reed.

Reed, 27 was never headed posting a closing 71 for a one-shot victory at 15-under par.

Reed, and wearing a pink shirt at the request of sponsor’s Nike in lieu of his traditional Sunday red, denied the orange outfitted Rickie Fowler, who birdied the last in a round of 67 for a 14-under par total to capture a most-worthy first green jacket.

Jordan Spieth roared into a share of the lead with four birdies in a five-hole stretch from the 12th but then clipped a towering pine at he last to take bogey in a round of 64 to be third at 13-under par.

And it was not a case of Reed beating McIlroy as the American had done in their Hazeltine Sunday Singles showdown but McIlroy beat himself.

McIlroy had done well a day earlier scrambling his way from azalea bushes and the Augusta pines in posting an Augusta equaling 65 to get within three shots of Reed heading to the final day.

But the Georgia golfing gem got its own back on McIlroy, and on the seventh anniversary of his 2011 final round Augusta implode.

McIlroy stepped onto the first tee just to 2.40pm local time and then after the usual pleasantries we heard for the 38th occasion:  “Fore, please!  Rory McIlroy now driving”.

Drive the first fairway he didn’t and for a second time in four days, McIlroy found the trees and this time right.

Both he and Reed then found greenside bunkers and with McIlroy splashing out to four-feet to save par while Reed took bogey at the first for a first time all week, and for McIlroy to head to the second now just two behind.

McIlroy 11-under.  Reed 13-under.

It should have been one adrift of his American rival in playing two textbook shots into the downhill par-5 second only for McIlroy to miss his four-feet eagle putt, and the hurt compounded when Reed posted par.

McIlroy 12-under.  Reed 13-under.

Reed again regained the initiative in a two-shot turnaround and moving back to three clear when McIlroy looked on in anguish as his par putt at the par-4 third hole slid by the hole and Reed holed out for a birdie three.

McIlroy 11-under.  Reed 14-under.

The tit for tat between the pair continued at the par-3 fourth where McIlroy pulled off a stunning tee shot to three-feet for a second birdie.

McIlroy – 12-under.  Reed 14-under.

The four-time Major winning McIlroy continued the birdie, bogey, birdie run after his drive off the fifth was right and then managing to get his second shot to within 30-yards of the green and missing an eight-footer for par while Reed had par.

McIlroy – 11-under.  Reed 14-under.

Reed then dropped a shot at the par-3 sixth in finding the front of the green but taking three shots to get up-and-down from 66-feet for his second bogey while McIlroy two-putted from a near similar line but with a first putt some 10-feet shorter.

McIlroy – 11-under.  Reed 13-under.

Reed went back to three clear brilliantly landing a 133-yard second shot to three-feet at the seventh for his second birdie while McIlroy had trouble down right and being hindered on his backswing by an overhanging tree branch.

McIlroy then found a front bunker from where he splashed out to four-feet for par to now trail Reed by three shots.

McIlroy – 11-under.  Reed 14-under.

Then for a third occasion in eight holes, McIlroy saw a birdie putt slide by the hole at the par-5 eighth with Reed saving par.

McIlroy – 10-under.  Reed 14-under.

But then as McIlroy was missing another putt he found himself now sharing second place with three others – Jordan Spieth 10-under with a fourth birdie of his round at the 11th.

Rickie Fowler went to 10-under when he birdied the ninth and this after playing partner, Jon Rahm had moved to 10-under with his birdie on seven.

In heading to the back nine ‘business end’ of the year’s first Major it was Reed leading by three shots on 14-under par and McIlroy in a four-way share of second at 10-under.

Spieth again stepped forward moving to within two of Reed at 12-under par with back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12.

McIlroy and Reed each pared the downhill 10th and with McIlroy bombing a 337-yard drive down the 11th only to hear cries of ‘sit, sit, sit’ when he flew the green for a bogey and then for Reed to lip-out for par for 11.

McIlroy – 9-under.  Reed 13-under.  Spieth 12-under/13 holes.  Fowler 11-under/12 holes.

Spieth then drew the second loudest roars after Charley Hoffman’s ace at the 16th in racing to a share of the lead with birdies at 15 and a 33-footer at 16.

McIlroy was now becoming an Augusta after-thought and while moving to 10-under with a three-footer for birdie on 13, he’d missed his 21-footer for eagle.

McIlroy 10-under.  Reed 14-under.  Spieth 14-under/16.

A bogey followed at 14 for McIlroy to slip back to nine-under par ahead of ending a 10th Masters with four closing pars.

McIlroy – 9-under.

Super-coach, Butch Harmon, and who coached Tiger Woods to victory in the first eight of 14 Major victories, summed-up the views of many saying:  “We’re all surprised and also disappointed how poorly McIlroy has played.

“I thought this was his event to go take”.

2018 MASTERS FINAL ROUND SCORES —

Patrick Reed (71) – 15-under.

Richie Fowler (67) – 14-under.

Jordan Spieth (64) – 13-under.

Jon Rahm (69) – 11-under.

Rory McIlroy (74), Henrik Stenson (70), Bubba Watson (69), Cameron Smith (66) – 9-under.



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