Augusta, GA … Danny Willett has gone from starting golf in Sheffield sheep paddock to 2016 Masters champion.
Willett brushed aside his Augusta rivals, including defending champion Jordan Spieth, who imploded mid-round, to win by three shots with a closing round 67 and a five under par victory at Augusta National.
“It’s just crazy, just surreal. You know, words can’t really describe the things and the emotions,” he said.
“You’re so much involved in what you’re doing when you’re on the golf course and, like you said, you do something special, and it still doesn’t sink in quite what you’ve achieved.
“I’ve won a couple of golf tournaments around the world, but this is ‑‑ this is just a different league. It’s a major. It’s the Masters.
Defending Masters champion slips the green jacket – a size 38R – onto new champion Danny Willett.
“But, it’s going to take a while to all sink in.”
Bizarrely, Willett had been on the verge of withdrawing from competing at Augusta National as his wife, Nicole had been due to give birth to the couple’s first child on the last day of the 80th Masters.
However young Zachariah was born early, arriving on March 30th, leaving Willett free to travel to Georgia and tee up in only his second Masters showing.
And to make it a triple celebration his wife, Nicole turned 28 the same day her husband became a Masters Champion.
“It’s been a strange week going from a chance I could not have been here this week also the wife was born on this day 28 years ago, so you never know,” he said.
And Willett did not arrive into Augusta until Monday night and then found himself on Tuesday morning, the last to register to be handed Badge No. 89.
In contrast, Spieth was handed the No. 1 badge and while he raced to seven under par with four birdies in succession up to the ninth, the 22-year old Texan looked all set to become the youngest-ever two-time Masters champ.
However, it all went wrong for Spieth not when he bogeyed the 11th it all came unstuck when Spieth put two balls into the water at the par three 12t hole and walking off with a quadruple ‘7’ and plunge to one under par.
But then Spieth was not about to thrown in the towel grabbing birdies at the last two par fives, the 13th and 15th holes, but when he missed a 10-footer for birdie at 16 it meant the American had to birdie the closing two just to
The closest the 28-year old Willett had come to Majors glory was T6th in last year’s Open Championship at St. Andrews.
However, the son also of a Sheffield preacher stepped onto the international stage finishing third behind Rory McIlroy in last year’s WGC – Dell Match-Play and then he was third earlier this year in the WGC – Cadillac Championship.
And, in a little known fact, Willett was a team-mate of McIlroy’s in the losing 2007 GB & I Walker Cup side that went down to a USA side that featured Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Billy Horschel.
But while Willett was celebrating also becoming the first European to win the Masters in 17 years since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999, McIlroy has to wait another 12 months for a third chance at winning the Masters and capturing a career Grand Slam.
Willett not only has a Masters tee time for as long as he can hit a golf ball but collected a first prize cheque for $US 1.8m.
Later this year, Willett will now make his Ryder Cup debut.
And just as delighted was ISM management boss, Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler’ who gave Willett a huge bear hug.
It is ISMs first Masters champion and with stablemate Lee Westwood posting a 69 to finish a Masters best of T2nd with Spieth, who eventually posted a second straight 73.
