Patrick Reed Crowned Masters Champion, Tiger Woods Finishes Outside Top 30

Patrick Reed won his maiden major title after he was crowned the Masters Champion on Sunday to become the fourth first-time winner of the Green Jacket in succession.

The American, who began the fourth day with a three shot lead, had to hold off a final round charge from Jordan Spieth and a late rally from Ricky Fowler to clinch Masters glory by one shot at the Augusta National Golf Course.

Rory McIlroy was tipped to be his closest challenger going into the final day with the Northern Irishman looking for a career Grand Slam having won the other three golf majors. But it was not to be as he struggled with his short game in the final round to finish tied fifth on 9-under.

Spieth looked like he would pull off the ultimate comeback after he tied for the lead in the final round, but a bogey in the final hole saw him drop a shot, while Reed, who was playing in the final group of the day gained a shot with a birdie at 14.

The 2015 Masters winner put in the best round of the day with a 9-under 64, but his costly mistake in the final hole not only cost him the win, but also second place to the late charging Fowler, who picked up birdies at 12, 13 and 15 to end the day at 14-under, just one shot behind eventual winner Reed.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Reed said after his first major win, as quoted by the Telegraph. “Any time you are trying to close off a golf tournament is really hard, but to close off your first major, and at a place that is so close your heart, is even harder.”

“I knew the lead would shrink at times and the lead could grow at others. Those are just the flows of golf and you need to know how to handle it. The only way I felt I could get that done was to make sure the putter was working,” he added.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, finished 1-over after playing a 3-under final round, which saw him finish tied 32nd in the overall standings. The 14-time major winner, who was installed as one of the favorites coming into the tournament, was not at his best during the first three days which ended his chance of challenging for the title.

The American, who will enter the top-100 in the rankings after his tied 32 finish, revealed he will take a breather from the game and not compete in the coming weeks. The Masters Tournament was Woods’ sixth tournament since making a comeback from a back injury late last year.

"Generally after this tournament, I put away the clubs for a while,'' Woods said, as quoted on ESPN. “I usually take three to four weeks off, through my entire career, and usually the clubs are put in the closet, and I just kind of get away for a while.”

"The run-up to this event is pretty hard and pretty grueling. I pushed myself pretty hard to get ready. And I peaked at it four times [in his victories] over the course of my career, and it's tiring,” he added.