DANNY, THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
There is something special about the ceremony to present the winner of The Masters with his Green Jacket. To me it’s the perfect mix of tradition and showbiz. I can vividly remember the first one I watched – a beaming Sandy Lyle being helped into the jacket by Larry Mize back in 1988 – and I haven’t missed one since. As I’ve aged, it’s become harder to keep the eyes open, but you somehow summon the willpower. Once the jacket is resting on the shoulders of the happy champion it’s time for bed! This year there was no way I was going to break my run.
The old cliche that the tournament doesn’t really start until the back nine on Sunday was certainly borne out, with much drama unfolding in the final few hours. Some say Spieth lost this Masters but, for me, it was Danny Willett’s five-under-par 67 that won it. Inspired shot-making and gritty determination is what’s required at the business end of a Major and the Yorkshireman showed plenty of both.
We put Danny on the cover of Golf Monthly in 2008 when he became the world’s number-one ranked amateur, and it’s been interesting to follow his career from there. Although it took him four years to register his first win, his three European Tour successes and nine other top-ten finishes since the start of the 2015 season showed his Major-winning potential. Don’t bet against him adding to his tally.
Given it was 20 years since a British player had won at Augusta, the pre-tournament expectations for the run to be broken were low. But, in the end, it was a feast after the famine with six home-grown players finishing in the top ten. That has to bode well for further success in a jam-packed season that includes the Olympics and the Ryder Cup. With so much action and a great cast of British and Irish players with the chance to play leading roles, it’s a golden opportunity to inspire the next generation of golfers. Let’s hope it’s one that can be taken.