Masters Results 2018: Top Takeaways and Reaction to Final Standings

Despite a hard charge from Jordan Spieth, who shot an eight-under 64 on Sunday, Patrick Reed held on to win the 2018 Masters thanks to a 15-under 273. Rickie Fowler finished second with a 14-under 274, while Spieth took third at 13 strokes under par.

Reed joined an exclusive list of golfers who have shot 15 strokes under par or better at the Masters, with Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the aforementioned Spieth having done so.

Here's a look at this year's Masters results (specifically the top 15), a few takeaways from the top three finishers (plus Tiger Woods) and a look at a few other memorable performances and moments from Augusta National.

Masters Results (Top 15)

1. Patrick Reed: -15

2. Rickie Fowler: -14

3. Jordan Spieth: -13

4. Jon Rahm: -11

T5. Cameron Smith: -9

T5. Bubba Watson: -9

T5. Henrik Stenson: -9

T5. Rory McIlroy: -9

9. Marc Leishman: -8

T10. Dustin Johnson: -7

T10. Tony Finau: -7

T12. Charley Hoffman: -6

T12. Justin Rose: -6

T12. Louis Oosthuizen: -6

T14. Paul Casey: -5

T14. Russell Henley: -5

Patrick Reed

The 27-year-old Reed won because of a phenomenal stretch on Saturday in which he shot six under through eight holes. That accomplishment included two eagles on the par-five 13th and 15th, which helped him establish a three-day score of 14 under and a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy heading into Sunday.

The eagle on the 15th hole was particularly impressive, as he knocked home a 27-yard chip-in to move to 15 under, as CBS Sports captured:

Reed's performance on the par-five holes from Thursday through Saturday turned out to be the difference this week, going 14 under.

However, he fought hard on the last day, managing just par on all four par-five holes and shooting one under overall. That being said, the Sunday difference turned out to be a wonderful approach shot on the 14th hole to set up an eight-foot birdie putt, as Masters Highlights showed:

That gave Reed a one-shot lead over Spieth, who at one point was tied for the lead at 14 under. Thanks to some solid play and clutch putting down the stretch, Reed finished with the one-stroke win for his first career major title.

Rickie Fowler

While Fowler didn't win his first major this year, he impressed with an incredible performance on Sunday, shooting six under on the last 11 holes (and hitting a birdie on the last) to crawl within one stroke of the lead.

Jason Sobel of The Action Network noted that Fowler's Round 4 performance could foreshadow a future major win:

Fowler, who has now finished top three in each of the four majors, was dominant with his approach shots, chips and putts on Sunday, as highlighted by this second shot on the par-four ninth:

It's certainly possible that we see Fowler in strong contention for a major title before the end of this year.

Jordan Spieth

The 2015 Masters champion found himself on a roller coaster this weekend. Spieth shot a six-under 66 on Thursday to take the early lead, but he went one over par on Friday and Saturday combined to find himself down nine strokes to Reed entering Sunday.

However, Spieth went on an absolute tear, making nine birdies (and no bogeys) through 16 holes. A remarkable 33-foot put for birdie on the par-three 16th to tie Reed at 14 under punctuated the run, as the tour's Twitter account highlighted:

The 24-year-old had a chance to take the lead on the par-four 17th, but an 18-foot birdie putt just missed. An errant tee shot on the 18th into the trees set a bad tone for the rest of the hole, and Spieth carded his only bogey of the round to close the day at 13 under.

Still, Spieth's charge up the leaderboard was remarkable, and he came close to earning the best final-round comeback in Masters history (Jack Burke Jr. was eight strokes down to amateur Ken Venturi in 1956 before winning the green jacket). He also left the tournament with another record, as ESPN noted:

Tiger Woods

As Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated tweeted, many fans were tuning in to see how Tiger Woods would do in his return to the Masters following a two-year absence:

Although Woods struggled from Thursday through Saturday and fought hard just to make the cut, he closed the Masters strong with a three-under 69 to finish one-over for the tournament. ESPN Stats & Info pointed out how well Woods did on the back nine in particular:

It's an incredible accomplishment for someone who was forced to miss all but one tournament during the 2016 and 2017 seasons because of serious back problems.

Memorable Performances and Moments

After dislocating his ankle during the par-three tournament on Wednesday, Tony Finau somehow was able to not only play this week but also do well, shooting a seven-under 281 and making six straight birdies on the back nine on Sunday. As Will Gray of the Golf Channel noted, that final run (and his ensuing finishing position) was quite important for Finau's 2019 season:

Charley Hoffman, who started strong but faded out of contention midway through the tournament, left with an ace on his scorecard after hitting one on the 16th hole Sunday:

Hoffman's Sunday playing partner (Matt Kuchar) pulled off the same feat just last year.

In what almost seemed like the norm on Sunday, Paul Casey went on a remarkable run, shooting nine under through 15 holes and putting himself in strong contention to set the all-time single-round record (nine-under 63, set by Nick Price in 1986 and Greg Norman in 1996).

While back-to-back bogeys eliminated this possibility, Casey still registered a remarkable weekend performance, going 10 under after barely making the cut Friday.