DANNY WILLETT has the perfect homecoming present to wrap 12-day-old son
Zachary in – the green jacket reserved for Masters champions.
The son of a preacher man – his father is a Church of England vicar in
Yorkshire – had the golfing gods smiling down on him as he took advantage of
Jordan Spieth’s incredible 12th hole meltdown to claim a glorious victory.
Willett, 28, admitted he would not have left England for any other tournament
after wife Nicole gave birth on March 30 by caesarean section.
He was also worried that he might be under-prepared for only his second
Masters after only flying in to Augusta three days before the tournament
began.
But the man who started the week as the world No 12 got better and better
throughout the four days of competition.
And a sensational final round 67 gave him a two shot victory, with Spieth
fighting back like a true champion over the closing holes to finish second
with England’s Lee Westwood.
Watch 2016 Masters champion ‘s final-round 67 in under 3 minutes.
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters)
Willett’s previous best finish in the Majors was a share of sixth in last
year’s Open, but he has won three times in the last year and pushed Rory
McIlroy all the way last year in the race to be crowned European No 1.
It was fitting victory on the 20th anniversary of Nick Faldo’s third Masters
victory, the last time a British golfer pulled on a green jacket.
And there were uncanny parallels to Faldo’s last win. He also finished wth a
bogey-fee 67, taking advantage of Greg Norman’s amazing final round
collapse, which saw him surrender a six shot lead.
Willett was five behind defending champion Spieth with nine holes to play, and
the outcome was just as dramatic.
Just about sums up Spieth’s day
— Fourth Official (@FourthOfficial_)
For a while it seemed as if Willett’s playing partner, Westwood – who shares
the same management company – would complete a glorious England one-two.
In fact for a wile Westwood, even looked like finally landing an elusive first
Major titles, after going so close on countless occasions in the past.
Westwood was within a shot of the lead after chipping in for an eagle at the
15th hole, but Willett immediately struck back with a birdie at the short
16th, while his rival stumbled to a three-putt bogey.
So Westy’s unenviable record in the Majors now reads nine top threes without
quite getting over the line. But this performance will give him new hope
that he can still win one, even though he is now just a couple of weeks
short of his 43rd birthday.
There was no sign of the incredible collapse to come as Spieth birdied four
holes in a row to complete a brilliant front nine, boosting his starting
three under par to an imposing seven under.
He led by five shots at that stage, and even when a spot of bunker trouble
cost him a shot at the tenth, it looked like a mere hiccup.
But the alarm bells started ringing when he carved his drive into the trees at
the eleventh, evoking memories of the way he ended the third round,
frittering away three shots in the last two holes after wild tee shots.
The moment you find out you’re the 2016 Masters Champion… Live on SS4, brought to you by
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf)
Sure enough, he failed to get up and down for par after chipping out onto the
fairway. Another shot gone.
Willett, meanwhile had ramped up the pressure with back-to-back birdies at 13
and 14 – the second one after a stunning approach – and as a compulsive
scoreboard watcher, Spieth must have known the heat was on.
Then came that horror story at the 155 yards12th as his under-hit tee shot
barely reached dry land, and was sucked back into Rae’s Creek.
His attempt to find the green from the drop zone, halfway to the flag, was
sinmply toe-curling. He completely chunked it, and it barely reached the
creek.
He was not going to mess with the water again, and his third attempt flew over
the green, into a bunker.
A battling up and down meant he finished with a quarddruple bogey SEVEN, and
he never ooked like repairing the damage, despite a couple of battling
bidies.
Watch ‘s final round in under three minutes.
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters)
The fairytale story of a 58 year old winning the Masters had earlier faded
towards an unhappy ending after less than an hour, as Bernhard Langer
followed a bogey at the opening hole with a double two holes later, and that
was the end of his challenge.
McIlroy also became a bit part player in a hurry as three bogeys in the first
five holes meant the best he could manage was a one under par 71. The career
Grand Slam will have to wait for another year.