Danny Willett’s slump since Masters glory takes another bitter twist as his caddie sacks him
Jonathan Smart helped the Brit to Augusta joy last year but they had a blazing row and is fed up being a scapegoat
DANNY WILLETT’S downward spiral since his Masters triumph has taken another bitter twist — he has been sacked by his caddie!
Jonathan Smart, who was on Willett’s bag when he shocked the golfing world with his Augusta triumph 13 months ago, walked out on the golfer after a blazing tournament row.
Willett accused Smart of giving him a bad yardage at the RBC Heritage event in South Carolina last month, the week after his missed cut defending the Masters.
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Smart responded by saying he was fed-up of being a constant scapegoat when things went wrong on the course.
He packed his bags after the first round of the Heritage and flew home to Yorkshire, forcing Willett to turn to a member of his management team to caddie.
Willett, 29, missed the cut there, too — the third time he has suffered that fate in his last five outings.
He will play for the first time since the bust-up at this week’s Players Championship in Florida.
Their rift is even more surprising as they have been pals since they were 13, when they were both members of the Yorkshire Boys team.
Smart began working for Willett in 2010 and they seemed inseparable.
The pair talked in glowing terms about each other’s qualities in a BBC documentary aired during the build-up to this year’s Masters.
Willett described his caddie as a calming influence and credited him for persuading him to hit a three wood instead of a driver on the final hole, taking the fairway bunkers out of play.
Their split was the talk of the locker room at last week’s GolfSixes event, with players and caddies in disbelief that such a close partnership was over.
Willett will have another boyhood friend on his bag at Sawgrass this week — Sam Haywood, who was best man at his wedding four years ago.
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Haywood usually caddies for David Lipsky, an American based on the European Tour, and it is not yet clear whether his switch to the 2016 Masters champ will be a permanent one.
In common with other top players, Willett can be a demanding taskmaster. And his mounting frustration is easy to understand after his dismal run since his Major breakthrough.
He has slipped from ninth to 21st in the world rankings and endured a miserable Ryder Cup debut which was overshadowed by brother Peter’s controversial anti-American rant.
Daly bread at last
ONE player experiencing very different emotions is John Daly.
His ‘grip it and rip it’ style won him a first title in 13 years as he landed his maiden Champions tour event in Texas on Sunday.
Daly, 51, said: “This feels so sweet. It wasn’t pretty at the end but I got it done and that’s all that matters. A win is a win, man.”
His previous victories included the 1991 USPGA and the Open four years later — making him the only double Major winner not to feature in a Ryder Cup.
A lifetime of off-the-course excess had much to do with it — as he had four broken marriages, battled the booze and gambled millions away.
So that £250,000 first prize will definitely come in handy.
Bridge of the week
BRIAN HARMAN sunk a 30-footer on the final green to win the Wells Fargo Championship — ending Dustin Johnson’s bid for a fourth PGA Tour title in a row.
Bogey of the week
THE European Tour did little wrong at the first GolfSixes, but the need for extra holes meant the third-place play- off finished AFTER Denmark beat the Aussies in the final.
Say that again
“CONGRATULATIONS to Denmark on adding the GolfSixes to their World Cup victory. It all bodes well for Thomas Bjorn’s Ryder Cup captaincy!” — Tour boss Keith Pelley.