Two of the game's greats chased him but Patrick Reed held on for the green jacket

Patrick Reed couldn't be caught.

While two of the game's premier golfers came close to catching him at the 82nd Masters, Reed's 15 under par over four days secured his first-ever Masters title. After jumping out to a big score through his first three rounds, Reed came back to earth but remained steady Sunday. In the end, his 1 under par 71 performance was just enough to win his first-ever major and first-ever green jacket.

Reed, sporting a hot pink Nike polo before clashing it with the Masters' green jacket over it, didn't enjoy the mistake-free golf he displayed in the previous days. He shot three bogeys to go with four birdies. This allowed a window to open for others to chase him.

"(Sunday) was probably the toughest a round of golf can ever be," Reed said. "It's a different kind of pressure."

Surprisingly, it wasn't Rory McIlroy, in second place entering Sunday and paired with Reed, who fought to mow down Reed. McIlroy ended his tournament with a day to forget by shooting 2 over to conclude at 9 under.

Instead, Jordan Spieth had a whale of a day after starting his final round 5 under. He birdied the first two holes and didn't make a mistake until No. 18. He bogeyed, leaving himself little chance to walk into what would have been seen as an unforeseen Masters title. Throughout his run, Spieth said he never looked at the leaderboard until he got to No. 18.

"I almost pulled off the impossible. I had no idea," Spieth said. "When I finished and I looked at the board I could have been in the lead by two and I could have been down four. And neither one would have surprised me."

Reed, however, was watching the leaderboard throughout the day. He said he always wants to know where he stands on the golf course. Therefore, when Reed saved par on No. 17, he understood how crucial the moment was.

"It was kind of nerve-wracking," Reed said. "I was glad (Spieth) ran out of holes."

Rickie Fowler, who began the day in third place, closed strong with four birdies on the back nine. His birdie on No. 18 gave him a puncher's chance at a playoff. Finishing at 14 under for the tournament, Fowler needed Reed to make a mistake and bogey his final hole.

Reed wouldn't allow for that to happen.

His tee shot landed just shy of the first set of bunkers on No. 18. His approach landed on the edge of the green. From there, all Reed needed to do was complete a two-putt for the Masters title.

Reed did that, broke out a fist pump and hugged his caddie to celebrate the victory.

"Patrick went out there and out-played all of us this weekend," Fowler said.

Reed was the Masters' leader for two days and held a three-stroke lead entering Sunday. Yet there seemed to be a consensus among national analysts that Reed would not be able to hold on, with McIlroy projected as the final day's favorite. Reed, unlike a lot of his fellow athletes, admits to listening to what golf analysts have to say.

He felt like no one was giving him a chance.

"It was one of those things that seemed like the pressure at that point has been lifted off," Reed said. "No one expects me to go out and win. I expect myself to go out and win. My family and I believe I can go out there and win the golf tournament. It seemed like everyone else was saying how great I was playing all week and how impressed they were, but come Saturday night and Sunday morning, they’re like, ‘Even though we’re saying all these great things about how well he’s playing, we think Rory is going to win.”

Over his pro career, Reed has been painted as golf's villain. Allegations surfaced that he cheated on his qualifying round scores and stole from a teammate when in college at Georgia for a year. He also had two alcohol-related arrests, which led to his dismissal from the program.

Transferring to Augusta State, Reed, according to the book "Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour" by Shane Ryan, allegedly lied about qualifying scores again, which led to the ire of his teammates. Reed would go on to help Augusta State win consecutive national championships at the Division I level.

Reed has denied all of the allegations made against him at both Georgia and Augusta State.

Reed is also estranged with his parents and sister, who moved to Augusta when he was in college. As a professional, Reed severed ties with his immediate family. A Golf magazine story states that his parents, Bill and Jeanette Reed, weren't invited to his 2012 wedding and haven't spoken to their son since. Reed also reportedly had his parents and sister removed from the 2014 U.S. Open when he found out they were in attendance. Reed's wife, Justine Reed, wrote in a Facebook post that his parents were "verbally and physically" abusive during his upbringing. Reed's sister Hannah denied this accusation in her own Facebook post.

Asked Sunday if winning the Masters was "bittersweet" because he couldn't celebrate the moment with his parents and sister, Reed said, "I'm just here to play golf and try to win golf tournaments."

In 2014, Reed caught flak for saying he was a top-five golfer in the world. He was asked Sunday if he regretted making such a boastful statement early in his career.

"I stand by my comments," Reed said. "I feel like I’ve played some golf that I need to play in order to get to where want to be, and that’s to be the best golfer in the world. The way you’re going to do that is by performing these big events and winning these big events."

This is Reed's sixth PGA Tour win and first since a victory at The Barclays in 2016. He is also the first former Georgia golfer to win the Masters since Bubba Watson in 2014.

While Reed lived in Augusta for two years, he didn't enjoy the same kind of fan support as McIlroy, Spieth and Fowler had down the stretch Sunday. Reed is a polarizing figure in the sport and has previously stated that public perception doesn't bother him much.

On Sunday, the former Augusta resident took notice of the louder ovations McIlroy was receiving.

"I walked up to the first tee and I had a welcoming cheer from the fans," he said. "But when Rory walked up to the tee his cheer was louder. That’s another thing that played into my hand. Not only did it fuel my fire a little bit but it takes the pressure off me and adds it back to him."

This story was originally published April 8, 2018 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Two of the game's greats chased him but Patrick Reed held on for the green jacket."