Willett not the master any more

DANNY WILLETT wore green at a major for the first time since that unforgettable final day at Augusta, but his mood yesterday could not have been any more different.

The Masters champion stumbled to a 74 to leave him near the bottom of the field at seven over par and then stormed away from an interview with a face like thunder. Asked if he was enjoying The Open, his terse reply was: ‘No.’

Willett’s game was world beating in April but he admitted things aren’t quite right at Troon after spending three days last week laid up in bed sick. ‘It’s just been a frustrating week,’ said Willett. ‘It’s been a grind start to finish.

‘I had a reasonable week last week practising and then felt sick for a few days, was not able to do anything, back in bed. All the training and work you do before that kind of gets thrown out because then you come back and you’re weak.’

The nadir yesterday came with a duffed bunker shot that rolled straight back down to his feet to set up one of six bogeys in an early-morning round that felt as gloomy as the weather. ONE of the oldest golf clubs in the world, Burntisland Golf House, are through to the last 32 of The Mail on Sunday Classic thanks to Joyce Murdoch’s play-off victory at Muckhart, writes Cara Sloman.

The close match see-sawed between the two sides. The visitors forced a sudden-death decider with wins from Murdoch and Anne Main, plus a half from Dorothy Peterson.

Murdoch, off 11, clinched victory with a par at the first extra hole after Muckhart’s Anita Collins missed a pressure putt.

‘It was touch and go,’ said team captain Myra Rae. ‘It all rested on a small putt. We felt sorry for Muckhart. It’s like the penalty shoot-outs in football. It’s not the nicest way to win, but somebody’s got to.’