Danny Willett’s first words after defying doctors to shoot flawless round at the … Full details below.👇👇
Danny Willett delivered a cracking response after his impressive performance at the Masters, where he started his first round post-shoulder surgery with concerns of looking like a “fool” but ended up near the top of the leaderboard.
The 2016 Masters winner, who underwent surgery in September, defied medical advice to make an “unexpected” comeback at Augusta National, carding a superb 68. Despite being ranked 260th in the world, Willett was just three shots behind clubhouse leader and LIV Golf sensation Bryson DeChambeau, who posted a remarkable 65.
A delay caused by overnight rain pushed back the start by two-and-a-half hours, though the anticipated thunderstorms missed Augusta National. The players faced challenging gusts of wind up to 20mph, with the greens remaining relatively soft.
Willett, hailing from Yorkshire, displayed the determination that allowed him to return to the game a year earlier than expected, following six weeks immobilised in a cast and a rigorous rehabilitation process. He only confirmed his participation after completing a 27-hole fitness test on Sunday.
Kicking off with a 19-foot birdie putt on the first hole, Willett surprised even himself by sinking seven birdies and sharing the lead at the halfway point before DeChambeau’s surge.
It’s unexpected, isn’t it? ” said a beaming Willett. “I think I might take the next six months off! No, it’s completely unexpected. Sometimes that happens, whatever. You make a couple of birdies and your mind starts thinking, all right, I can do it. It was nice to keep chilled out. It’s not like it’s in pain hitting it, it’s more the shots you need to hit.
It was more the reps and me being a bit nervous, to be honest, about whether or not I’d just come here and mess around and hit the first tree in front of me every time because I’ve not practised enough. It was more that actually, the nerves and the anxiety of are you in a place where you’re not going to make a fool of yourself. It’s actually turned out all right.”
He also added: “I’ve not been able to hit every single shot. Tiger talked about it when he came back about hitting a golf ball at least 1,000 times, whether that be putting, chipping, whatever. It’s just the ability to hit certain shots around here that — it’s a very complicated golf course if you get yourself out of position.”
He mused further by stating: “Because it was playing tough, it probably really made us concentrate that little bit more. I might go out tomorrow and shoot 80, I don’t know. But it’s just the fact that we’re here and pain-free, it’s just a nice way to be.”
