Master Danny returns in style
DannY WILLEtt’S first round on English soil since his stirring success at the Masters last month turned into a triumphant homecoming at the BMW PGa championship at Wentworth yesterday.
cheered to the echo by the 20,000- strong crowd who lined every hole to create a raucous, wonderful atmosphere, the 28-year-old Yorkshireman delivered in emphatic style with a marvellous opening round of 66.
Willett’s card showed no fewer than three twos to emphasise his iron play was of the highest order. His six under par, bogey-free round left him just a shot behind the trio of first- day leaders — australian Scott Hend, Joost Luiten from Holland and YE Yang from South Korea.
Veteran Yang, 44, is seeking a notable PGa double, having won the US version in 2009 to become the first, and only asian male to date, to win a major.
Willett made his way on to the first tee shortly after mid- day. the sun was shining, the spectators were lined 10 deep and the reception they afforded him was positively spine-tingling.
‘I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get used to being announced as the Masters champion,’ he said, smiling. ‘But to be fair, the support the crowd gave me all the way round was incredible.’ Willett collapsed badly with a final round of 77 when in contention at the Irish Open on Sunday but put that down to the stopstart nature of the weekend, when there were six weather delays in total.
Here on a perfectt spspringg afternoon, he showeded all his class and mental tal strength. ‘I think wee saw last Sunday howw a home crowd can work in your favour with Rory McIlroy’s performance and hopefully we can see something similar here this week,’ ’ he said.
the shadows might ght have been lengthening ening but the massive grandstands around the 18th green were still packed as he put the finishing touches to a scintillating performance.
‘It was a really good way to start the tournament,’ said Willett. ‘My mid and short irons were very solid and I don’t think I was in danger of dropping a shot all day.’
Four days after McIlroy lasered a five wood over water on the par-five 18th hole at the K club, who should repeat the trick on a similar finishing hole here but … Luke Donald? ‘ Sorry to go against the stereotype, guys, but when I’m hitting the ball well I feel like I’m plenty long enough,’ said the Englishman, cheerfully.
For the past couple of years he has been hitting it anything but, of course, and has fallen from world no 1 to 76th as a consequence.
Back at the scene of some of the most memorable times in his career, that tremendous blow with a rerescue club set up the easieseasiest of two-putt birdies for a 68 and added up to a real ‘don’t forget ababout me’ moment.
‘When I’m on the leaderboard after the first round it usually sets mme up well for a good ttournament,’ warned ththe local man from HiHigh Wycombe, who won this event in 2011 to head the world rankings for thefirthefirst time, then repeated the feat a year later.
this is a huge week for Donald if he is to make a run at Europe’s Ryder cup team, for he does not currently have an exemption into many of the leading events.
the first target is to progress into the world’s top 60 to get into the US Open next month, and he will certainly take care of that with three more rounds like this.
the pressure is on, therefore, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on.