Golfer Patrick Reed defied all expectations to win his first major championship at the Masters in Augusta, Ga., over the weekend.
“It was a dream come true,” Reed told Cheddar Monday. “Every child growing up who is a golfer and loved golf was always on the putting green saying, ‘Alright this is up and down to win the Masters’
“To actually have that happen, it was a surreal moment.”
The 27-year-old beat out Rickie Fowler, 2015 champ Jordan Spieth, and former world #1 Rory McIlroy, who was aiming to seal a career grand slam.
“Something that I’ve struggled with in the past is...I thought of them as majors and made them so big and put so much pressure on myself,” said Reed.
This time around, though, he said he stuck to one mantra: “Just go out and play golf.”
But beyond the tough competition, Reed faced a tough crowd. His brazen personality has long antagonized golf fans, many of whom were rooting for others in the lineup instead.
And he had history to contend with. Going into the Masters, many were hoping Tiger Woods would pull off what would be [the greatest comeback](https://cheddar.com/videos/will-tiger-woods-score-at-the-masters) in sports history. But finishing tied for 32nd place, Woods didn’t even come close to the top spot and mentioned he’d take a breather before competing again.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/masters-champion-patrick-read-on-his-path-to-victory).
Naz Aletaha, head of esports partnerships for Riot Games, said that the "priceless" experiences with new global sponsor Mastercard will start with the world championships in October, offering premium content and behind the scenes access to the biggest event for esports lovers.
Mastercard, seeing a market opening in the skyrocketing popularity of esports, signed a deal to become first global sponsor for Riot Games' "League of Legends." Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer for Mastercard, said the company will become exclusive payment service provider for the game. The deal represents the largest mainstream sponsorship thus far in the esports world.
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As the online gaming world continues to boom, professional sports organizations are working to marry the online and physical sports world. Hugh Weber, president of the New Jersey Devils, said that there is a way for live esports events to be compelling enough to translate to ticket sales.
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Chris Raybon, senior editor at The Action Network, breaks down the best bets for sports fans heading into Week 2 of the NFL Season.
The company's recent growth on the back of a newly invigorated gaming segment is only the beginning, according to president and CEO Bracken Darrell. He said in an interview on Cheddar that esports could become "the biggest sport in the world," and Logitech will be there as its top hardware provider.
If you had any lingering doubts that eSports had gone mainstream, they would have been erased when the North American League of Legends Summer Split took over the Oracle Arena ー home to the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Cheddar was there for the last stop before the World Championships in South Korea next month.
Bettis, known as "The Bus" when he was an unstoppable running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, voiced support for the NFL player protests but also said he thought the league was "doing the right thing" in a tense situation.
Serena Williams's altercation with a chair umpire during the U.S. Open final was just the latest example of women being treated differently than their male counterparts in the sport. But whether things change by the Australian Open in January, said the Washington Post's Cindy Boren, is hard to say.
