Patrick Reed’s Masters victory today takes him to another level in the game, moving the 27 year old to 11^th in the world ranking from his previous 24^th and although he has been as high as 7^th 18 months ago, this win takes him to a level in the game both in reality and perception that he has never been to previously.

As a major champion he joins a particularly elite group of the game’s best and perhaps even more so as a winner of the Masters.

While all the talk internationally will be on the breakthrough major championship for the feisty now six-time PGA Tour title winner and his showdown with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, for Australians the performance of both Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman remain as their highlights from the 2018 Masters.

Both Smith and Leishman stormed home over the closing few holes of the Augusta National layout to finish tied 5^th and 9^th respectively today, Smith in particular continuing to build on his reputation as a player capable of joining the elite of the game himself in the years ahead.

Brisbane’s, Smith, was playing in just his 7^th major championship, his first appearance when 4th at the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay essentially launching him onto the world stage for the first time, eventually that effort earning him the right to play the PGA Tour in 2016.

It was that performance that also gained him his first start at Augusta National in 2016. The leading four players at the previous year’s US Open are automatically invited to the Masters and Smith did well when making the cut on debut.

A third round of 82 that year was a little hard to take but importantly he had learned so much in that first year about the nuances and subtleties of the great layout to stand him in such good stead the next time round.

Back in 2018 as a considerably more experienced and skilled player he slowly but surely worked his way into the tournament and after comfortably making the weekend by finishing six shots inside the cutline he had established a base on which to build over the final 36 holes.

Round three was going very nicely until two late bogeys but at 3 under he was nicely poised to post one of his best major championship finishes and further his credentials for the road ahead.

Sunday however would see much better than that. Only two players, Paul Casey and Jordan Spieth, would better his final round 66 although a missed four-footer at the last proved both frustrating and costly for Smith.

His back nine of 30 however was sensational, a run of four consecutive birdies from the 12^th setting up the brilliant closing nine holes.

“I saw a good putt go in on the 10th and that set things up for the rest of the back nine,” he said after his round today. “I hit a really good shot into 16 also and came up a little short but 6 under around here on the back nine I will take any day.

“The best part of today was to get a little bit of confidence going into next week with the driver. I struggled with that earlier in the week but hit it really good today so that is perhaps the best thing I will take out of today.”

Smith moves to 39th in the world ranking his highest standing ever, he earns US$368,000, takes his career earnings in the US to well over US$ 5 million and importantly gets another crack at the Masters in 2019.

Getting to know Cameron Smith

Smith took to the game like a duck to water when first introduced by his father at the age of 3 and after winning the Australian Stroke-play twice in 2011 and 2012 and the Australian Amateur Championship in 2013 he quickly adapted to professional life in 2014 after gaining his Asian Tour card early that year.

He finished runner-up to Anirban Lahiri in one of the early season events in Jakarta and he was on his way. It would however be a 5th place finish at the CIMB Classic late in the Asian Tour season, an event jointly sanctioned with the PGA Tour that elevated his standing even further.

As a result of that finish he had a start on the PGA tour and with his management company working overtime more would come. A 15th place finish at Hilton Head helped his cause but it was his big cheque at Chambers Bay that changed his direction.

His first PGA Tour win came in 2017 when partnering Swede Jonas Blixt to victory in a tournament in New Orleans but his first professional victory on his own came when winning the Australian PGA Championship in a playoff (see photo above) against Jordan Zunic last December.

At home also he so nearly won the 2016 Australian Open when losing a playoff to Jordan Spieth and Ashley Hall at Royal Sydney but it is in the US where he keeps stepping up to the plate and in some respects ‘boxing above his weight’.

His first individual win in the US must come soon and there will be little surprise when it does either from his peers or the golfing public generally who are becoming increasingly aware of the considerable game and mindset he possesses.

Next week for Smith will be the RBC Heritage Classic at Hilton Head a course he has played well previously and the style of course that should suit his game admirably. That first solo win might not be so far away.

Leishman, too, must take a lot of credit for the manner in which he fought back after losing his way early in round 4, four late birdies moving him to 8 under and into a share of 9th.

Like Smith, Leishman flies under the radar to a large extent but he has now earned US$21.5 million in earnings on the USPGA Tour alone and is regularly putting himself into contention in major championships.

His unflappable manner and significant game must surely be rewarded with a major at some stage and that may well be sooner rather than later.

Australians did well at the 2018 Masters. It was not the most expected who were to the fore, however, but rather others who might do even better in the future.

There has been so much speculation ahead of the 2018 Masters as to just where this year’s version sits in terms of anticipation – many suggesting, because of the numerous story-lines involved, that it is perhaps the most anticipated ever.

The events of day one have suggested that hype was not overdone with not only one of Augusta National’s now favourite sons (Jordan Spieth) producing brilliance to lead but the perhaps feel good story of the week to date, Tony Finau, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of disappointment to lead until very late in the day.

Finau’s excruciating (just to watch) dislocated ankle during the Par 3 contest on Wednesday appeared to have ruined the chances of a Masters debut for the tall 28 year old American but after overnight treatment, elevating his ankle all night and an MRI this morning he was cleared to play around 7.00am and an hour later he was at the course to test the ankle and prepare for his afternoon round.

That he had a few hours to warm up and assess his capabilities of playing perhaps worked in his favour but so too did a round of golf that began with perhaps an unsettling bogey given the circumstances but evolved into a a brilliant debut further emphasising the roller coaster golf can offer.

From the despair of being forced to potentially sit out a Masters debut to taking the lead when finishing a round is stuff that dreams are made of and, after the nightmares of 24 hours earlier, Finau could not hide his excitement.

“Yeah, it’s been pretty crazy.  To be in this position I’m at now; when I woke up this morning, nothing short of a miracle if you ask me.  I could barely put any pressure on it.  I could barely walk.  But obviously, after the MRI we had, you know, there was no real damage.  So at that point, at about 8:00 this morning, I knew I was going to play.

“From that time till I teed off was just about getting together with my doc and just having him do some tissue work and just make sure I was good to go.

“I went to the range quite a bit earlier than I would have, just to see how I was going to feel and hit some shots.

“But the emotions have been pretty crazy.  I looked forward to this week for a really long time, and to see the possibility of that slipping away; you know, I had the confidence that I would come back, but I wanted to play now and I want to play this week.

“Waiting for another opportunity to play my first Masters, or whenever that was, whether it was next year or another time, was going to be hard for me to swallow.”

Finau finished about an hour ahead of the eventual first round leader Spieth and would eventually lose his lead to the the 2015 champion but it was a round he will not forget for so many reasons.

“I don’t know if I could sum it up in one word.  But, you know, to me, it’s nothing short of a miracle sitting here right now, just because, you know, when it happened, I felt like there probably could be something seriously wrong.  And after the X‑ray, there wasn’t and after the MRI, there wasn’t.

“To me, it’s a miracle; my foot was out of place 24 hours ago, and I sit here in second place at the Masters possibly after round one. It’s nothing short of a miracle for me.  Just blessed.”

Spieth birdied holes 2 and 4 and then dropped shots at 5 and 6 and as he reached the 8th tee he was at even par. Most scoring opportunites at Augusta National come on the back nine but he needed to build momentum quickly and it came in the form of an eagle at the 8th hole from 14 feet.

While his run of five consecutive birdies from the 13th swept him into a then three shot lead it may well have been the great par saves he made at the 7th, 11th and 12th that would establish the base for his late onslaught.

A bogey after the last put a dampener of sorts on the round but it proved to be a good bogey as after finding the trees he was still facing 250 yards for his 3rd. That he saved bogey from the left of the green is further evidence if indeed it is needed that Spieth is firing on all cylinders.

“You know, I feel like ‑‑ and I talk about this almost every interview I do, is we build plans for the year to peak at certain times,” said Spieth.  “And I believe that not just here at Augusta, but the major championships, going back a number of years, I’ve played really well, and I think that has to do with the work of our team.

“We’ve got a great plan, and then gearing up myself and getting psyched for them and the right amount of kind of confidence and composure that it takes.

“Out here, this golf course specifically, brings out a lot of feel in my game, and I think that’s advantageous.  I don’t do well in domes or driving range shots, and you don’t have many of those out here.”

He acknowledged that the grinding today was just as important as the brilliance.

“If I look back on my highlights for the day, I’d say I had three of them.  Two of them were bogeys and one was an eagle.  My bogey save that I made on No. 7 was a fantastic putt that kept, you know ‑‑ I saw a putt go in.  It was a very difficult putt, and I could have dropped to over par, and it led to, you know, stepping on 8 tee feeling like, okay, regrouped, let’s grab three coming in.”

Spieth leads by two over Finau and Kuchar, Kuchar perhaps one of the dark horses this week. Kuchar has often played well at Augusta National and has had a good season already in 2018 and so some of the odds about his chances ahead of the event appeared very appealing.

The large group at 3 under and three from Spieth’s lead includes Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy, McIlroy making his second best start in the event and Stenson also doing considerably better then in previous years.

Of the Australians Marc Leishman well with his round of 70 to be just four from the lead although a double bogey at the par 5 15th will hurt given he was then tied for the lead.

Marc Leishman

Leishman played with Tiger Woods and given the distractions of that pairing he did well.

Cameron Smith is playing his second Masters and produced his best round by two shots to be at 71, while Jason Day and Adam Scott had 75’s.

Twenty players are under par and the cut appears as if it will fall around the 3 or 4 over mark tomorrow.

Jordan Spieth begins this week’s Masters as the player with the hottest record in the event in recent years. Twice a winner and once runner up in his last four starts and 11^th last year after being well into contention heading into the final round, Spieth’s game suits Augusta National and vice-versa.

Today, in a press conference the 24-year old spelt out his thoughts on just why he does so well at this event.

“I think this game brings out the feel aspect of my game, which is the better side of me on the golf course. It’s not a technical driving range golf course, you have a lot of uneven lies and very slopey greens, and so you have to play a lot off of feel and what that lie gives you.

“I think that that’s helped me kind of settle in and not overthink things out here and get into a nice groove, and it’s led to some success at this event.  So it is my favorite tournament in the world.  I’ve certainly made that pretty clear going back the last five years.

“So excited for this week.  Game feels good, and the golf course is looking to be already pretty firm and fast.  We’ll see how it holds with the weather that’s coming in.”

Spieth has hardly played badly this of late but until last week’s improved effort at Houston he was below his best and his 3^rd place finish three days ago has him primed for his 5^th appearance at Augusta National.

He is not fazed by the fact that his form in 2018 has taken a little longer to kick in.

“I feel better coming into this week than I did in 2016 and 2014 where I came off of missed cuts in Houston.  There’s a lot to be said off of the previous week, the previous week’s momentum.  And being able to work my way last week into contention and hit some putts under pressure I kind of pretended like I was tied for lead even though I figured I was a stroke or two back. I kind of wanted that “you need to make this” feeling.”

“I would say this year I’m certainly hoping that I’m approaching this as this is the beginning of the year, it’s not been the greatest start to the year of any that I’ve had.  But I kind of look at it almost in like thirds.

“You kind of get the half a dozen to ten events, you get kind of before the Masters, and then you get the Masters through kind of that U.S. Open stretch is the next third, and then you get the last two Majors and the playoffs, the FedExCup is kind of like the last third.

“So this maybe starts kind of the second ‑‑ kind of end of the first, beginning of the second, third of the season.

When asked as to how he feels as to whether this is the most anticipated Masters ever Spieth had his own thoughts but was keen to not overstate the fact.

“I think it probably is.  I think the addition of Tiger being healthy and playing well, no matter what else happened, was probably going to make it as anticipated as any going back five, six, seven years.  So that in its own.

“But then Phil winning recently, Rory winning recently, Bubba winning recently, Justin playing well, D.J. playing well, I mean, yeah, there’s just a lot of guys playing really good golf that create story lines in general.  And then when you put it at kind of the biggest stage in our sport, I think that creates that anticipation.  But for me personally, I mean, it’s just ‑‑ it doesn’t feel any different to me.”

Despite his young years Spieth has already built a special relationship with this event and vice versa and when asked how this event sits with him against the other majors he responded.

“The other Majors and other golf tournaments certainly have similar history, and The Open Championship has even more history than any other tournament.  But to be played at the same place, to have ‑‑ to play 16 and see Tiger’s chip putt in, to see Phil’s holing bunker shots on 15 for eagle, all the putts guys have made on 18 to that Sunday pin, it’s just ‑‑ and the amphitheater setup as you come up 18, it’s just like, it’s a walk that I’ll certainly never forget.

“So personally it’s a no‑brainer for me to say so.  But I don’t know why necessarily other people would feel that way.”

The love affair between Jordan Spieth and Augusta National looks set to continue this week. His is a record like no other in recent years and despite that his 12^th hole demise in 2016 could well have left an indelible scar on his memory he has found a way to put that behind him and look ahead to the possibility of not just contending but winning this week.

If he does, few will be surprised.

The Masters captures the attention of not just the golfing world but the sporting world generally. As is so often the case with all of the great sporting events internationally, everyone, golf fans and others, become experts during tournament week and for golf that is a very good thing.

Picking a winner is never easy in tournament golf but let’s take a look at the leading chances and see if we can do just that in addition to assessing the Australian chances.

Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has a very good record at Augusta National without winning. The one remaining leg of his career Grand Slam has been tantalisingly close at times and his most recent form indicates that such a feat is not beyond him. Four top tens in his last four visits to Augusta National suggest that he has every reason to be one of the favourites if not the favourite.

Jordan Spieth
Spieth’s most recent form until last week’s impressive share of 3^rd at the Houston Open has been below his best but his record at Augusta National speaks for itself. Once a winner, twice a runner-up and an 11^th place finish last year after starting the final round just two from the lead is a stunning record in his four starts and so if there was a place to regain his brilliance this could well be it. Every reason to believe his great run at the Masters will continue.

Dustin Johnson
Johnson began as the Masters favourite last year although an accident on the eve of the event cost him a chance to continue what was then a great run of form to begin 2017. He has been 4^th and 6^th at his last two Masters appearances however and his most recent form has been good enough for him to be considered a genuine chance.

Bubba Watson
Firmed in favouritism for this week’s event with his win at the Dell Match Play which followed just a few weeks after his win at the Genesis Open. As a two-time winner of the Masters, the left hander’s game clearly fits Augusta National nicely and he now appears back playing at the level that saw him win here in 2012 and 2014.

Justin Thomas
Thomas is playing his third Masters with two midfield finishes previously and now, with the benefit of that experience at the venue, along with seven PGA Tour titles to his name in that period he should begin as one of the favourites. He has yet to record a round in the 60’s in eight attempts at Augusta National but his most recent form, which includes top four finishes in each of his last three starts, suggests he has the credentials for his best Masters finish and perhaps something significantly better.

John Rahm
The Spanish star and world number three makes just his second Masters appearance following an encouraging debut in 2017. Rahm was well enough placed through 36 holes last year but struggled over the weekend but given his rapid rise in the rankings, his significantly more tournament experience since and that he has won on three occasions worldwide in the last twelve months there is every reason to believe he can better his first attempt. He started 2018 brilliantly and while not at that peak since he has continued to play solidly.

Justin Rose
Rose has been twice runner-up at Augusta National in his last three starts and boasts several other solid Masters finishes. The Englishman was playing in Houston this week and was average at best but his great weeks in Tampa and Orlando recently suggest he is close to his best and if he can produce it then his chances of a breakthrough win at Augusta National and his second major title are good.

Tiger Woods
There is perhaps greater interest in Woods appearance and effort at this year’s Masters than ever before. His recent comeback form has been encouraging having been runner-up in Tampa and 5^th at Bay Hill. His record at the Masters is amongst the best in the history of the event and so there is every reason to believe he can at least contend. Dismissing champions has proven folly for many in the past and I am not about to do that. If he was able to win it will be as big a moment as that of Nicklaus in 1986 and while there is little doubting the magnitude of the task, his re-appearance adds an amazing dynamic to an event which he won by 12 shots 21 years ago and subsequently won on three other occasions.

Jason Day
In seven starts at the Masters Day has yet to miss a cut, the only time he did not make the weekend was when forced to withdraw after round one in 2012. A runner-up finish on debut in 2011 and a 3^rd place finish behind Scott in 2013 tell the tale of Day’s liking for the Augusta National layout and its suitability for his style of game. His form this season has been excellent with a win at Torrey Pines and a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and so a second major title is not beyond the 30-year old.

Phil Mickelson
A win by Tiger Woods would no doubt be a great boost for the game and excite golf and sports fans worldwide but so too would a victory by Mickelson. With three wins in the event and so many other top threes Mickelson has arguably the greatest record of those playing this year’s edition and his most recent form has been first class including the WGC win in Mexico. A final round of 67 in Houston will also assist his cause. There is no real reason to believe that Mickelson could not potentially surpass Nicklaus and become the oldest player to win the Masters.

Paul Casey
Casey has not been outside the top six in his last three Masters appearances and his recent form in 2018 suggests he could easily add to that impressive run of form at Augusta National. His great consistency over the last few years is perhaps deserving of a first major and, although golf is rarely fair, if Casey was to produce that major breakthrough then few would deny him the right to do so.

Sergio Garcia
As the defending champion Garcia deserves respect but so too because of his most recent form which includes a win in Singapore in January and three consecutive top tens in his most recent PGA Tour starts. The recent arrival of his first child should serve to inspire him even further. He has not always performed well at Augusta National but his win last year and a new attitude to his life and game served him well in 2017 and he could well become the first player to successfully defend this great title for the first time in 16 years.

Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama has, in recent weeks, become the forgotten man to a large extent although an analysis of his form in 2018 suggests it is not as bad as it might seem. Early in the year he finished 4^th in Hawaii and then 12^th at Torrey Pines before being forced to withdraw from the Waste Management Phoenix Open with a wrist injury. If his recovery from that injury is complete then his record at Augusta National suggests he could be a chance. He has been no worse than 11^th at his last three appearances at the Masters and also played well there as an amateur.

THE AUSTRALIANS

Jason Day (see above also)
In seven starts at the Masters Day has yet to miss a cut, the only time he did not make the weekend was when forced to withdraw after round one in 2012. A runner-up finish on debut in 2011 and a 3^rd place finish behind Scott in 2013 tell the tale of Day’s liking for the Augusta National layout and its suitability for his style of game. His form this season has been excellent with a win at Torrey Pines and a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and so a second major title is not beyond the 30-year old.

Adam Scott
Scott has always shown a liking for Augusta National ever since his debut 9^th in 2002 and he has missed only two cuts in a total of 16 starts. He has only played five events in 2018 but does appear to be getting better with each start and while contention and winning might be beyond him this year I think we can expect a good showing.

Marc Leishman
Leishman has been going along nicely in 2018 with three top tens in eight starts and appears to be peaking for this. Leishman’s record at Augusta has been mixed, however, finishing 4^th behind Adam Scott in 2013 but in four other starts he has missed three cuts and been 43rd in the other.

Cameron Smith
Smith will make his second Masters appearance having made the cut on debut two years ago. His overall form in 2018 has been very solid culminating in a 5^th place at the recent WGC Dell Match Play. Smith has jumped most of the bars put in front of him in his career to date as he goes quietly about his business and while contention this year is probably out of the question a good solid week appears likely.

The recent form of 50-year old Australian David McKenzie on the Champions Tour is an example of what can be achieved by persevering with an already lengthy career while at the same time offering an understanding just how difficult success on the Champions Tour can be.

I wouldn’t mind a dollar for every time I have heard someone say that such and such a golfer will do well in senior golf but for those who have attempted to gain access to the Champions Tour they will be fully aware just how much of a task it is.

Credit therefore must go to McKenzie who throughout his twenty-seven year professional career kept his game alive by playing wherever he could including the Australasian, Canadian, China, Nationwide and PGA Tours, winning on five occasions, the most significant perhaps being his win on the then Nationwide Tour in 2005 which eventually allowed him to graduate to the PGA Tour.

McKenzie’s most important result in Australia was arguably his playoff loss to Richard Green at the 2004 Australian Masters at Huntingdale but he continued to play regular tour golf wherever he could right up till the age of 50 and in fact still does.

His first start at Senior level was just a few days after his 50^th birthday at the Senior Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl where he finished 9^th against an impressive field, all of whom chased home the winner that week, Bernhard Langer.

Buoyed by the experience and relative success on debut at that level, McKenzie headed for the US and attempted to pre-qualify for several Champions Tour events and gained starts in a further five in 2017, two of which resulted in top five finishes.

The US$320,00 he won for his efforts on the 2017 Champions Tour saw him finish the season in 53^rd position and although not able to advance his cause to any great degree when 12^th at the Champions Tour School he had sufficient status to afford him some starts in 2018.

This past week he was playing his 4^th event of the 2018 season and by finishing in a share of 3^rd behind Steve Stricker at the Rapiscan Systems Classic in Mississippi he earned a cheque for US$88,000 and has moved to 30^th on the Charles Schwab Money list.

30^th is an important figure as by season’s end it will determine those plays who successfully retain their rights for 2019 but it appears McKenzie is already showing that his sights might be set higher than that.

The Melbourne based golfer is a great example of what playing competitively through to the age of 50 might offer in the wider world of Senior golf and if his start is anything to go by then more is to come for the man who could be considered one of the grinders of Australian golf.