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American Patrick Reed won his first major on Sunday as he held onto the lead he had going into the final round to beat Ricky Fowler by a shot to win the Masters.
Reed, who carded a one-under 71 in the fourth round on the Augusta National Golf Club course and finished the tournament 15-under, needed to par the final hole to avoid a play-off after Fowler had birdied the 18th.
The 27-year-old Texan, who graduated from Augusta College, put his first putt three foot beyond the cup, but then had no problems in holing the next for his first major win.
Earlier South Africans Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen both shot in the 60s, but they were too far off the pace going into the final round to challenge for a top-ten place.
Oosthuizen, who ended the day with 69, tied in 12th place on six-under for the tournament, while Grace, who rushed off after the round as his wife is expecting their first child, climbed up the field with a five-under 67 to take him to one-under for the tournament. He tied in 24th place.
“It was a whole lot better today. I got a little bit of luck at the beginning of the round, and that led to a couple of good birdies and a couple of good breaks,” Grace said.
“In the last couple of days it was the other way round. I had a few bad breaks and then it is hard. You start forcing things and it goes wrong. But today was good.”
Grace shot five birdies on the back nine, including one on the tough 18th. “It is always good to end a tournament on such a high. I had a couple of eagle putts, but they just would not go in. I kept on telling my caddie that I wanted some crystal (golfers at the Masters get a crystal vase for eagles). I said I might not get the green jacket, but I want some crystal, but it was not to be.
“But it was great to make four birdies in a row out here, I think I have never managed that. I take a lot from the experience and the positive vibes that I had around.”
He said he was now looking forward to the birth of his son. “I think it will be a very positive thing. I know that if I come home after a bad round, I will look into his face and it will put a smile on my face.”
Oosthuizen, who has the unwanted distinction of having finished runner-up in all the majors, said his round had been ‘a little bit better.’
He dropped three shots, including a double bogey on the 10, but pulled back with four birdies on the last seven holes.
“My putting was a little bit better and I did make a few good putts. I can take a lot out of the day today. I know I can play well on the course and I can win it, so I just have to go out and shot my best.
“I have to have my game really sharp going into this week. There can’t be any flaws if you want to win and this time around, I was too ‘iffy’ with some of the aspects of my game and you can’t do that if you want to win here.”
Reed, who won $1.98m (about R24m) said that he had always dreamed of winning the green jacket. “Every time you think about it as a kid growing up, it’s always, you know, this putt is to win a green jacket; this putt’s to win the Masters.
“I think that’s just because of the history and everything that’s gone on here at Augusta National and how special it is to all the golfers and special it is to just golf in general around the world.”
