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Patrick Reed wins multi-faceted Cadillac Championship

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Who won the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday all depends on whom you ask. Golf architecture buffs will point to architect Gil Hanse, whose renovation of Dick Wilson’s Blue Monster served to wet appetites for his work at the Brazil Olympic venue. Finance aficionados point to Donald Trump as triumphant, given that he can now charge $450 a round during high season. As far as the world’s golf professionals are concerned, the second WGC title of 2014 rests in the arms of Patrick Reed.

After claiming a two-stroke lead on Saturday evening, the two-time PGA Tour event-winning Reed came out of the gate on Sunday with irons ablaze. He birdied three of his first four holes (semi-offset by a second-hole bogey) to take control of the tournament. As all champions learn, Reed then put the machine on auto-pilot with nine consecutive pars. A bogey hiccup on No. 14 brought him back a bit, but pars on the next three holes righted the ship. The steady play reinforced words he had spoken the previous evening, after his Saturday 69:

“But I stayed in my rhythm, stayed in my golf game and my game plan, and that’s why I’m sitting here with the lead,” he said, “because I’m not getting ahead of myself and not trying to play against other people, just playing my own game.”

Bubba Watson made the first run at Reed, posting an unblemished 68 to enter the clubhouse at 3-under par, roughly an hour before Reed arrived at the 18th tee. Watson has already won in 2014, at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club last month. He was keen to put some pressure on the third-round leader, after consecutive birdies at Nos. 15 and 16. A makeable birdie was missed on No. 17 and was followed by a fortunate scramble on the closing hole, locking up his second runner-up finish of 2014.

Next came Jamie Donaldson of Wales. Somewhat unknown in the U.S., Donaldson made his run on the inward nine at Doral. Three birdies brought him within two of Reed, but the Welshman was unable to stay the course. A weak approach into the final green resulted in a closing bogey, a round of 70 and a tie for second with Watson.

Despite the strangest of layups off the tee on No. 18, Reed again gathered himself to play out the hole in four more strokes. His 19-inch tap-in for bogey on the tournament’s 72nd hole secured his second win of 2014 and his first World Golf Championship victory.

Yet again, Tiger Woods played himself into contention on Saturday, this time with a six-under par 66, the low round of the week. On Sunday, Woods went six blows the other side of par, posting an uninspired 78 to drop from fourth place to a tie for 25th. After grinding out a 73 on Friday and igniting hopes with the glorious 66 on Saturday, this Tiger was left with an empty tank on Sunday.

A 365-day glance back at the 2013 Cadillac Championship scoreboard revealed a two-stroke win by Tiger Woods, at 19-under par. A total of 19 players finished better than 6-under, the winning score this year. No doubt remains that the changes made by Hanse, Jim Wagner and their team after last year’s event changed the way the golf course looks, feels and plays, down to its very core. Very few professionals devoid of commentary on the new Blue Monster at Doral.

And the greens, yeah, the greens are going to take some learning. They are busy. There’s a lot more humps and hollows; but in saying that, that could also lead to some birdies,” Justin Rose said of the putting surface. “Because if pins are in hollows and feeder pins, if you hit the right shot at the right time with a wedge, you can get the ball closer than maybe you could on a flat green.”

Jason Day, on the course from tee to green, especially the famous 18th hole:

But really, the distances, it’s not about… if you can carry 320 yards, then it’s all about distance. But most of the bunkers are at 300 to 320 carry from the back tees and it’s very difficult. Now, granted, the fairway bunkers, you can still get to the greens. I don’t think they are so severe which is a good thing because of the course, they have lengthened the course a lot.

“The northeast wind from 18, they lengthened the hole, it’s a 300-yard carry left over the water now, and that’s not including the wind. They have added mounds to the right there with a lot more trees. So you have to really kind of … you’re either going to blow it way, way right on to the first fairway, which it’s not easy now because they have added bunkers there, as well, so you really have to kind of hit a good shot down 18.”

Gil Hanse, summarizing what he has heard:

“The nice thing is we are hearing sort of across the range, not just the bombers love it. Some of the shorter players feel like their course management is going to be an important part of what they do out there with the new fairway bunkering so that’s a positive. You don’t want to hear only the bombers saying it’s great and have the other players say there’s something wrong with it.”

For years, pundits and players alike questioned the wisdom of WGC events so close together (the match play took place in February), as they simultaneously wondered about the low scores posted each event. Now, the tables have turned. Doral is a finer challenge than ever and seems to be a perfect fit for the WGC and its Cadillac Championship. As far as Trump is concerned, the Blue Monster is in the books and it’s on to his latest acquisition, the Greg Norman-designed Doonbeg Golf Club in Ireland. Don’t be surprised if a WGC event finds its way to the emerald isle at some point in the future.

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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