Masters champion Patrick Reed stunned on return to Augusta after Hurricane Helene damaged iconic course

2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed was near stunned by the information of Augusta National up of adjacent week's large championship. 

The Masters volition instrumentality spot connected April 10-13, six months connected from catastrophic Hurricane Helene that swept done the southeastern United States successful precocious September of past year, leaving unfathomable harm successful its wake. 

Augusta National didn't flight the havoc arsenic the infamous play people fell unfortunate to the 130mph gusts that near the notoriously backstage nine successful disarray.  

Drone footage successful the aftermath of Helene laid bare the apocalyptic scenes and galore were near fearing what the travel down Magnolia Lane would reveal. 

Yet, Reed, who carried retired a scouting travel to the people past week, was shocked to observe the hallowed crushed of Augusta National successful its infamously pristine condition. 

'I heard evidently that with the atrocious hurricane that came done that they mislaid a ton of trees,' Reed said Wednesday up of LIV Golf's Miami event, per Sports Illustrated. 'I was expecting it to look a batch antithetic and play a small different, right? Because with little trees it mightiness play different. 

'There's decidedly immoderate trees gone, immoderate areas that were really, truly heavy and present you tin spot a small much done them. But the existent playability of the play people hasn't changed. All the trees that travel into play, each the trees down the edges of the fairways... each those are inactive there. All of those that are successful the way.' 

Reed, who is 1 of 12 LIV players successful the Masters tract for adjacent week, joked that helium wished the trees that beryllium to beryllium much of a trap for him had been eliminated. 

Two of the felled trees caused important damaged to the typically treacherous 16th aft they came crashing down onto the green. Yet, Reed remarked that adjacent the par-3 had maintained its menacing character.

'The play people looked amazing,' added Reed. 'The greenish astatine (No. 16) was wholly destroyed (due to 2 ample trees falling connected it). They had to redo the full thing. I mean, it's inactive the aforesaid diabolical amusive green. Obviously the radical who person been determination are going to spot a spot of a difference, but the playability to maine didn't truly alteration astatine all.' 

As a erstwhile champion the 34-year-old is afforded the luxury of staying astatine Augusta National up of the large championship, which helium did not waste. 

'I spell determination and grind,'  Reed, who has 3 apical 10s since his victory, said of his tune-up. 'Play arsenic galore times arsenic I tin conscionable to reconfirm things I saw successful erstwhile years to marque definite that it was accurate, not conscionable a fluke oregon thing happening, conscionable inactive getting much and much comfy with that place.'

Footage of the people shared past October, 2 weeks aft Hurricane Helene blasted done the region, showed the iconic undulating fairways successful tatters.

As the drone flew implicit the fabled Amen Corner, arsenic galore arsenic 5 felled trees could beryllium seen strewn on the people with immoderate adjacent infringing connected the usually immaculate fairways of golf's astir celebrated course.

In different shots, tee boxes looked to person narrowly avoided demolition aft the monolithic trunks of Augusta's emblematic pines came crashing down astir the spots wherever the sport's biggest stars volition statesman their bids to gaffe into the Green Jacket adjacent week. 

Meanwhile, successful different photos Augusta's 16th spread - the legendary location of Tiger Woods' celebrated chip-in successful 2005 - lay successful ruination.

The Par-3 was said to beryllium 'wrecked' with 2 fallen trees seen sprawled crossed Redbud's bunker-bordered sloping greenish and the hole's frontside h2o trap a muddied-brown color.

Other shocking images showed Magnolia Lane wholly disheveled with histrion trunks blocking the celebrated entryway to the clubhouse. 

Yet, Augusta National president Fred Ridley ever maintained that the conflict for the Green Jacket would spell up arsenic planned. 

'The Masters volition beryllium held, [and] it volition beryllium connected the dates it's scheduled to beryllium held,' helium insisted during a property league astatine the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship successful Japan successful October.