Patrick Reed wins the Masters by holding off late charges from Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler and getting one lucky break

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April 8, 2018 11:51 PM

Patrick Reed held off late challenges from some big names before winning his first Masters.

Patrick Reed held off late challenges from some big names before winning his first Masters.
Reed finished at 15-under after shooting a 2-under 70 on Sunday. He was one stroke ahead of Rickie Fowler and two shots ahead of Jordan Spieth.
Reed briefly lost the lead but caught a huge break on No. 13 when his ball did not land in the water.

Patrick Reed held on to win the Masters on Sunday despite some dramatic late charges from Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler.

Reed two-putted on No. 18 and beat Rickie Fowler by one stroke for his first career major championship.

Reed, who dominated the par-5 holes during the first three rounds, struggled to score on the longest holes on Sunday. After going 13-under on 12 par-5 holes heading into Sunday — with nine birdies, two eagles, and just one par — he managed just four pars on them on the final day.

But it was also the par-5 No. 13 where he caught his most important break.

After Reed eagled No. 13 on Saturday, he once again went for the green on his second shot. While his shot came up short, he also caught a big break as the ball stayed up in the second cut and did not roll back into the creek.

For a while the story of the day was Spieth, who started the day nine shots back. He played the first 16 holes at 8-under and briefly tied for the lead after making long putts at both Nos. 12 and 16.

Fowler made a late challenge of his own after his day got off to a slow start. He went 1-over through the first seven holes and fell six back before making a too-little, too-late charge on the back nine.

Fowler went 5-under on the final 10 holes, including a birdie on No. 18 that drew him within one shot.

At the beginning of the day, Rory McIlroy looked like the most likely challenger, three strokes back and seemingly ready to rekindle the rivalry from the 2016 Ryder Cup.

McIlroy's challenge fell apart early. After pulling within one stroke after just two holes, he played 3-over during the next 12 holes and fell six strokes back.

But in the end it was "Captain America," as Reed has been dubbed for his dominance at the Ryder Cup, who is now the Masters champion and owner of a green jacket.

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