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Photos: The images that defined the 2018 Masters Tournament

Patrick Reed grabbed his first major championship by winning the 2018 Masters Tournament. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Every Masters lends itself to great photos, those snapshots that capture the true essence of the tournament and the beauty of Augusta National. This Masters was no different. Here's a look at the images that will define this year's event.

Two champions and a firefighter

Matt Parziale, a firefighter who won the Mid-Amateur Championship to earn a spot in the Masters, was hoping to play a practice round with Tiger Woods. He got that. As an added bonus, former Masters champion Fred Couples came along for the ride.

When old friends meet again

Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus gathered early Thursday morning at the first tee to get the 2018 Masters Tournament started. The honorary starters officially opened the tournament in the morning chill.

The wait is over

Tiger Woods had not played a competitive round in the Masters in three years. That finally came to an end Thursday. His return didn't go so well. He opened with a 1-over 73, then followed with 3-over 75. Woods, though, had a solid weekend, shooting even-par 72 on Saturday and 3-under 69 on Sunday to finish the tournament at 1 over.

Walk with care

Tony Finau's status for the Masters was uncertain ... because he got hurt while celebrating a hole-in-one. Finau went down with an ankle injury during the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday following an ace at the 7th hole. After some hours of uncertainty, Finau made it to the first tee Thursday morning.

Water, water everywhere

Defending champion Sergio Garcia stood in the 15th fairway for a long time on Thursday. Why? He kept hitting balls into the water on the par-5. In all, Garcia dunked five shots and walked away with a 13 on the hole. Yes, a 13.

When the rains came

Though the rains came on Saturday, forcing the patrons to hide under umbrellas for a bit, the weather was not as bad as the forecast had indicated. The third round went on without a hitch.

He missed everything

In the cold and the rain Saturday morning, Phil Mickelson hit a wayward drive at the first hole. He found himself under some pine trees. His attempt at a punch-out into the fairway failed -- and failed badly. He swung ... and missed, for a whiff on No. 1. He went on to make a triple-bogey.

Rickie makes a run

Rickie Fowler needed a low number in Saturday's third round to get into contention. He got that. Fowler went out and shot 5-under 31 on the first nine and finished with a bogey-free 65 to play himself into third place heading into Sunday's final round.

Checking out the azaleas

The azaleas near the 13th green are nice to look at. It's not recommended to hit a ball into them. That's what Rory McIlroy did during the third round. He found a way out, chipping to safety and sneaking away from the 13th with a par.

Eagle has landed ... again

Patrick Reed eagled the par-5 13th hole, but he wasn't done. Reed came up with another at the par-5 15th, leading to a big celebration as he shot 67 in the third round to take a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy headed into the final round.

Here to see Rory

The patrons tried very hard to get a glimpse of Rory McIlroy as he chased his first green jacket.

Spieth gets revenge on No. 12

Jordan Spieth's final-round history with No. 12 hasn't been good the past two years. But on Sunday, as he made his charge up the leaderboard, Spieth rolled in a birdie from the back fringe on No. 12.

It wasn't Rory's day

Rory McIlroy could never quite get in a groove on Sunday. He struggled from his opening tee shot on and ended up shooting 2-over 74 to fall into a tie for fifth.

Fowler keeps his eye on the prize

In pursuit of his first green jacket, Rickie Fowler did everything he could. He closed with a 5-under 67, but that just wasn't enough.

Reed earns it at 18

Patrick Reed's first major title wasn't going to come easy. After Rickie Fowler closed with a birdie to cut the gap to one, Reed needed to grind out a par on the difficult 18th. He did just that.

Time to update the wardrobe

Patrick Reed walked away with one of the most cherished prizes in all of golf -- the green jacket. Reed's 1-under 71 was enough to hold off the field and earn the win.