GolfPlus May 2018 Digital Edition (May 2018) | Page 25

atrick Reed dominated
the par-5s at Augusta
National Golf Club to win
the Masters Tournament.
Despite settling for par on
Nos. 13 and 15 in the ¿ nal
round, Reed played the
quartet of holes 13-under
in four rounds. It’s the
second-best performance on the par-5s in
tournament history by a champion, trailing
by one shot Raymond Floyd’s effort in 1976,
which also cleared his path to victory. Floyd
inserted a 5-wood in the bag that week to
help launch high approach shots designed
to land softly on August a National’s ¿ rm
greens. Reed didn’t make any similar
equipment adjustments and often needed
only a mid-iron on his second shot because
he pounded drives 299.2 yards – sixth in
the ¿ eld – and capitalized on the holes
where the players can rarely afford a par. A
decision to lay up on No. 15 after he pulled
his tee shot behind the pine trees led to a par
that helped him avoid disaster.
“I wanted to go for it on 15 because
I had a tiny little window,” he said. “My
caddie is like, ‘No, we have the lead. Chip
it down there. Let’s try to make birdie with
your wedge. Worst case scenario, we’ll
make par.” The ¿ eld made 25 eagles and 46
percent of their 925 birdies on the par-5s,
and the leaderboard reÀ ected the players
who played them in the fewest strokes. They
were the four easiest holes on the course.
Rickie Fowler fell one shot short of his
¿ rst major championship. He can place a
piece of the blame on missed chances on
No. 13, though he did make birdie there to
maintain momentum in pursuit of Reed. The
13th was the easiest hole on the course for
the tournament (4.61 stroke average), yet
Fowler made par in each of the ¿ rst three
rounds. He was 9-under for the week on the
par-5s. Jordan Spieth was perfect on Nos.
13 and 15 for the week – eight birdies – and
12-under on the par-5s, birdieing during
his thrilling ¿ nal-round 64 and third-place
¿ nish. He also hit one of the shots of the
tournament on No. 13 to fuel the back-nine
charge, escaping the pine straw from 230
yards out to set up a 12-foot eagle putt.
Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm played the
par-5s well for the week, but both can point
to the 8th hole as where they lost steam on
their quest for a major championship.
After a perfect drive, Rahm hooked his
approach shot left of the mounds and had
to scramble for par. McIlroy found the pine
straw right of the bunker offs the tee and
made a complete mess, missing yet another
short par putt. Rahm also squandered
another opportunity when he found the
water hazard on No. 15 and made bogey.
“The only down I would say is the
second shot on 15,” said Rahm, who was
11-under on the par-5s including three
birdies and an eagle on No. 2.
“You know, it’s sad, it’s sad too, because
I played so good the last three days and that
one shot, one shot where I feel like I made
a perfect swing and wound up in the water,”
he said. “It’s just hurtful. It’s actually two
of them, 13 yesterday and today on 15.
Besides that, I think I handled myself really
well. I played good golf, gave myself plenty
of opportunities.” Whether it was Sergio
Garcia’s eagle on No. 15 a year ago, Tiger
Woods manhandling the par-5s en route to
four green jackets or six-time champion Jack
Nicklaus setting the template at Augusta
National in the 1960s and ‘70s, taking
advantage of the par-5s is a clean route to
Butler Cabin.
This time, Patrick Reed followed suit.
The Sad story of
Patrick’s Family
Reed’s parents and younger sister
knew that they were unwelcome at
the course because they have been
estranged from their son and brother
since 2012. That’s the year Reed
married Justine, who was four years
older. Although neither he nor his
family has revealed many details, his
mother once said she believes they
offended the couple by advising him
that at 22 he was too young to marry.
They were not invited to the wedding
and say they haven’t spoken to him
since.
Patrick’s family members watched with
mixed emotions, crying with joy over
the momentous achievement by their
son and brother and with sadness over
their inability to share it with him. The
parents say they have yet to meet their
two grandchildren.
Enjoying the moment
A Winning Roar
Congratulations
Patrick
GolfPlus
Patrick Reeds wins his
first green jacket
The Masters of “Master Tournament”
MAY
2018
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