First off, congrats to Patrick Reed. He’s not my favorite golfer by any means, but putting that aside, he played a hell of a tournament. He was dialed in for four days and earned his spot in the history of The Masters. But what came from the 2018 Masters?
The final round had some ups and downs and some definite excitement. Some of my takeaways…
Spieth – Goodness!?!! What a final round. The bogey on 18 was a downer, but he put a charge into what started off as a relatively uneventful final day. Good thing everyone thought his putting was bad?
Rickie – What a class act! He played beautifully all day to finish within one. And then to wait for Reed coming off the 18th was especially classy. No one in the game does that as much as Rickie. Some may say it is a lack of killer instinct. I don’t believe that for a second. The guy desperately wants to win but refuses to be anything but gracious when he doesn’t. Believe me, I don’t think this is a requirement at all. Tiger is my favorite and he never did, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate Rickie’s class.
Tiger – He just didn’t have it this week. The game is coming around though. I liked the way he drove the ball today. The irons were off all week and the putting failed him overall. Shinnecock sets up well for him if he can keep the momentum with the driver and use the stinger as much as possible. I love having him back!
I wouldn’t say The Masters is my favorite tournament (even though I may have already said it). It is unique and has crazy thrills, but I love all the majors. The 2018 Masters was made interesting by some stellar Sunday play.
Congrats to Reed and see everyone at Shinny!
Jimmy, it was great to see Rickie compete on a Sunday. Let’s face it, his past record on the weekends has not been stellar, especially playing with a lead. I loved that he shot 67, birdied 18, and put a charge into the crowd. He’s now ‘ready’ to win a big one. Congrats to Reed; he was well deserving of the victory.
Thanks!
Brian
Jimmy,
At the start of Sunday, I was rooting for Rory. By mid-Sunday, I was rooting for Spieth. By the very end, I was rooting for Rickie. Needless to say, I was a bit on the “anyone but Reed” bandwagon, however, his performance was impressive and I will give him all of the credit he deserves for the win.
It was encouraging to see Tiger finish with a round in the 60’s. He drove it well enough to be in contention but the irons and putter weren’t there. There were flashes of brilliance, but no consistency or momentum built. Might just be some major championship rust – he hasn’t played one since 2015! I think this is still positive progress to make the cut in his first major back and finish with a solid round. It’s great that he still appears healthy as well. Bring on the US Open!
Cheers
Josh