Masters – Golfing Agency https://golfingagency.com Golf news & updates Thu, 05 Jan 2023 18:19:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://golfingagency.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/cropped-GA_favicon-32x32.png Masters – Golfing Agency https://golfingagency.com 32 32 2023 Masters expands field to 80 golfers with special invitations accepted by NCAA champion, Japanese star https://golfingagency.com/2023-masters-expands-field-to-80-golfers-with-special-invitations-accepted-by-ncaa-champion-japanese-star/ Thu, 05 Jan 2023 18:19:15 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/2023-masters-expands-field-to-80-golfers-with-special-invitations-accepted-by-ncaa-champion-japanese-star/
The Masters - Final Round
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Augusta National Golf Club announced Thursday that it extended a pair of special invitations to the 2023 Masters that have been accepted by Gordon Sargent, the 2022 NCAA champion, and Japanese golfer Kazuki Higa. This bumps the Masters field to 80 golfers with three months until the tournament.

“The Masters Tournament prioritizes opportunities to elevate both amateur and professional golf around the world,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement. “Thus, we have extended invitations to two deserving players not otherwise qualified. Whether on the international stage or at the elite amateur level, each player has showcased their talent in the past year. We look forward to hosting them at Augusta National in April.”

Sargent, a 19-year-old sophomore at Vanderbilt who was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2022, is currently ranked No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and projects well at the PGA Tour level because of his swing speed and length off the tee. He is the first amateur to receive and accept a special invitation to the Masters since 2000 and the sixth amateur joining the field in 2023.

Though the Masters does not normally invite the NCAA champion to play in its event — although the U.S. Amateur winner and runner-up are both invited — it has made special exemptions in the past for a number of different players. If such exemptions are made, they are generally doled out closer to the tournament in April.

Higa is less well-known, but he has compiled six wins on the Japan Golf Tour and is ranked No. 68 in the world. He also won the Japan Golf Tour’s order of merit in 2022. Higa has played in one major championship before, missing the cut at The Open Championship last July at St. Andrews by five strokes.

It’s difficult to not contrast this news of the Masters spreading invites to global players and amateurs with its recent statement regarding the eligibility of golfers playing for LIV Golf. Such golfers are still invited to the Masters while eligible, but it’s clear that Augusta National prefers one path over the other.

Professional golfers will still be able to qualify for the Masters the next three months by either winning a PGA Tour event or playing their way inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings by the week before the tournament.



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LIV golfers to receive Masters invitations https://golfingagency.com/liv-golfers-to-receive-masters-invitations/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 11:34:13 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/liv-golfers-to-receive-masters-invitations/
Players competing on the LIV Golf Invitational Series will be allowed to take part in The Masters in 2023, organisers at Augusta National have confirmed.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley said that their ultimate focus is to bring together ‘a pre-eminent field of golfers’ and they will invite players who are eligible under their current criteria.

Phil Mickelson is of six past Masters champions currently competing in the LIV Golf Series

It means previous champions such as Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Phil Mickelson will be at The Masters in April. Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are among the LIV players who will also qualify as a result of winning a major championship in the last five years.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Masters chairman Fred Ridley said: “From its inception in 1934, the purpose of the Masters Tournament has been to benefit the game of golf. Each April, the Masters assembles the world’s leading golfers to compete for the Green Jacket and a place in history. It provides a stage for fans to experience dramatic moments of competition at the highest level and promotes the sport domestically and abroad.

“Through the years, legends of the game have competed and won at Augusta National Golf Club. Champions like Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have become heroes to golfers of all ages. They have inspired some to follow in their footsteps and so many others to play and enjoy the game. They have supported the sport and, thus, all who benefit from it. They have shown respect for those who came before them and blazed a trail for future generations. Golf is better because of them.

“Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it. Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent field of golfers this coming April. Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament. As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April.”

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said in July that there were no plans to ban LIV golfers from competing in the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, although, like Ridley, he said that qualification rules were constantly under review, and did not rule out future changes.

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2023 Masters qualifying criteria allows all eligible golfers to compete, including some LIV Golf members https://golfingagency.com/2023-masters-qualifying-criteria-allows-all-eligible-golfers-to-compete-including-some-liv-golf-members/ Tue, 20 Dec 2022 16:31:49 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/2023-masters-qualifying-criteria-allows-all-eligible-golfers-to-compete-including-some-liv-golf-members/

Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced Tuesday that no changes will be made to the organization’s qualifying criteria ahead of the 2023 Masters as invitations to next year’s tournament are in the process of being made. As such, all eligible golfers will be allowed to compete in the Masters, regardless of professional affiliation.

“Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it. Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April,” Ridley wrote.

“Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament. As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April.”

While not specified in print, Ridley here is largely referring the eligibility of those who presently compete for LIV Golf. In total, 16 LIV Golf players have qualified for the Masters through its established criteria: past champions, major championship exemptions and/or ranking inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings by year end.

This is the same criteria Augusta National has used for years, and LIV members were similarly eligible to play in the Masters last season.

Past Masters champions that currently play for LIV include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Sergio Garcia; all are granted lifetime exemptions. Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka also qualify for the next handful of years based on recent major championship victories. However, for the other seven golfers — including young players like Joaquin Niemann — future qualification will only become more difficult as LIV does not receive OWGR points for its events.

As such, qualified LIV golfers may play in dwindling numbers as years pass unless eligibility criteria changes or LIV is granted OWGR points. Similarly, it will be difficult for additional members of the LIV circuit to successfully qualify in the future. For those currently in the field, a victory will grant them a lifetime invitation, but a more attainable accomplishment may be a top-12 finish, which has historically come with an invitation into the following year’s championship.



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LOOK: Augusta National lengthens iconic No. 13 hole with big change ahead for golfers at 2023 Masters https://golfingagency.com/look-augusta-national-lengthens-iconic-no-13-hole-with-big-change-ahead-for-golfers-at-2023-masters/ Tue, 22 Nov 2022 17:55:51 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/look-augusta-national-lengthens-iconic-no-13-hole-with-big-change-ahead-for-golfers-at-2023-masters/

One of the loneliest spots on the course at Augusta National is about to get even lonelier as a big change is coming to the 2023 Masters. The governing bodies in golf have not yet decided to roll the ball back or change equipment regulations, so Augusta National took matters into its own hands with its course and lengthened the iconic 13th hole.

This move had been rumored for years, of course, and talk only heated up after Augusta National purchased land from the adjacent Augusta Country Club that would allow it to push its tee box back up.

The 510-yard hole has come under much scrutiny over the last decade as several golfers have attempted — successfully, in most cases — to turn it into a drive-and-pitch play off the tee. Historically, the 13th has been one of the great risk-reward holes in the sport, offering golfers who were willing to take on the creek running in front of the green a look at eagle but wreaking havoc for those whose approach shots came up short. That dramatic risk-reward option, with the first major of the year on the line, hasn’t really presented itself many years.

In April, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley was asked about whether one of the most famous holes in golf would ever change.

“There’s no timetable,” said Ridley. “Nothing to announce at this time. That’s something that certainly we have considered and will continue to consider. Admittedly, and I’ve said this before, the 13th hole does not have the same challenges that it has historically. I can just remember as a young guy watching the Masters, you know, some of the triumphs and tragedies. And while we still have those, the fact that players are hitting middle to short irons into that hole is not really how it was designed.

“My reluctance to date has been that it’s such an iconic hole,” Ridley added. Probably along with 11 — or 12 rather, and maybe 15. I mean, probably the three holes where the most history has been made at Augusta National.  
So that probably, you know, has been sort of a counter to doing anything. At some point in time, it’s something that we likely will do. We just don’t have anything to say about it right now. ”

Things have changed since April, apparently, as satellite photos show that the tee box has been moved and trees have been planted in surrounding areas. This will, in most cases, make it difficult for most of next year’s Masters competitors to put themselves in a position off the tee where reaching the green with a wedge or short iron is simple and straightforward.

The unfortunate part about all of this is that it could be avoided by regulating equipment. Perhaps that doesn’t pose a challenge to Augusta National given its resourcefulness and position in the game, but not every club or course can spend millions for an extra 40-60 yards of distance on every hole.

“We won’t know [if equipment changes are coming] for some time because there’s sort of a process that sort of everyone has agreed to as to how any equipment changes such as this are going to take place,” said Ridley in April.

“So we really can’t make any predictions as to what’s going to happen, but I think if there are some marginal modifications to the equipment rules, from what I have observed over the past few years with the players and their athleticism, their strength, their size, the efficiency of their golf swings, I don’t think that we are going to see courses being shortened. 


“So perhaps the two sort of factors might converge, but I don’t think that what the governing bodies do is going to have a direct impact on what we might do at 13 or any other hole on the golf course.”

That’s an interesting admission from somebody in the know. He’s essentially saying that even if the ball is rolled back or driver neutralized, the effects probably will not be so great that moving the tee back on No. 13 — which ANGC has now done — wouldn’t be necessary.

As for the move itself, it’s going to be one of the big stories at the 2023 Masters. Just as No. 15 was lengthened ahead of the 2022 Masters (a move that led to no eagles being made for the first time since 1966), this change to No. 13 will affect the outcome of the golf tournament. While 50 or so yards (it’s tough to tell in the photo above) is not a massive shift, perhaps the bigger problem for players will be that they are not as able to cut the corner up the left side because some of the overhanging trees block that ball flight.

Some players like Tony Finau, Bubba Watson, Cam Young and Rory McIlroy may still attempt a line way out to the left, but the hole is certainly going to engender a wide array of strategies than it has in the past. More and different strategy is what you want when you’re watching and experiencing championship golf. While the path to get to this point (lack of equipment regulation) has been frustrating, this is ultimately a good decision and should be a net positive both for ANGC as well as the Masters.



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Ping Junior Masters produces close finish https://golfingagency.com/ping-junior-masters-produces-close-finish/ https://golfingagency.com/ping-junior-masters-produces-close-finish/#respond Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:16:09 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/ping-junior-masters-produces-close-finish/

The champions of this year’s Ping Junior Masters event have been crowned at Close House in Newcastle, following an exciting grand final which was the biggest to date.

A group of 68 talented juniors competed the club’s championship Colt course, as Close House continued its support of young golfers and their development within the game.

Three age groups were represented at the grand final: 12 and under, 15 and under, and 18 and under. The age group winners were George Curry/Abigail Scott (12 and under), Oliver Goodison/Evie Coatesworth (15 and under) and Joe Mulroy/Rebecca Evans (18 and under) – with Abigail Scott taking the overall victory.

Throughout May to September, junior golfers across eight counties in the UK battled it out for a space in the final, with nine qualifying events taking place and producing the best turnout in the history of the tournament.

Close House’s attached professional, Lee Westwood, played a big part in the initial development of the Junior Masters, with the vision to help grow the game and create more competitive opportunities for keen young golfers.

“I am a really proud supporter of the Junior Masters,” he commented. “They are great events, played at some top courses in the UK. Providing young golfers with competitive opportunities is invaluable, and everyone involved in these events is extremely committed to supporting junior golf – it is a privilege to be involved.”

Jonathan Lupton, Managing Director at Close House, added: “The Junior Masters series is a huge part of Close House’s efforts to help develop the future generations of golfers, giving youngsters an invaluable opportunity to play competitive golf. From personal experience it’s fantastic to give these juniors the chance to play the final on a championship standard golf course, whilst also having fun and enjoying the event.”

In addition to hosting a qualifying event and the final, Close House has also given free school coaching to children at 15 local schools.

The 2022 events also saw PING Europe continue its support of the tournament, providing all the prizes at the grand final and helping to make it a truly memorable experience for the juniors involved.

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2023 Masters bid secured as Harrison Crow wins Asia-Pacific Amateur with late flurry of birdies https://golfingagency.com/2023-masters-bid-secured-as-harrison-crow-wins-asia-pacific-amateur-with-late-flurry-of-birdies/ https://golfingagency.com/2023-masters-bid-secured-as-harrison-crow-wins-asia-pacific-amateur-with-late-flurry-of-birdies/#respond Sun, 30 Oct 2022 22:02:00 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/2023-masters-bid-secured-as-harrison-crow-wins-asia-pacific-amateur-with-late-flurry-of-birdies/

The 2023 Masters and 2023 Open Championship grew by a spot on Sunday as Harrison Crowe (-13) of Australia won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship by one stroke over Bo Jin (-12). That sounds like a straightforward outing for the 21-year-old, who was set to turn pro after this tournament until those Masters and Open bids waylaid his plans, but it was anything but simple.

Crowe needed a 33 on the back nine — including four birdies in five holes at one point — to surge past Jin, who led by three at the turn, and claim the trophy. Even that doesn’t fully describe the drama.

Jin, still leading by one Sunday as he teed it up at the 17th hole at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand — a true island hole where players have to take a boat to the green — hit his shot in the water on the par 3 and disappointingly finished double bogey-par to slip from 14 under to 12 under. Crowe, on the other hand, closed par-par on the last two holes to stay at 13 under and win by a stroke.

Crowe’s par at the last was an up and down that itself nearly went in the water and could have cost him invites into perhaps the two biggest golf tournaments of 2023. He hung on with a nervy putt at the last that touched off a massive comeback over Jin.

On Saturday after Round 3, Crowe did a bit of foreshadowing when the No. 43 amateur in the world openly discussed how he was going to turn pro but wouldn’t do it if his final round went like the first three. (He opened 69-67-67.)

“I would turn pro almost as soon as I get back home,” said Crowe after taking a two-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. “… I would love to delay that decision.”

While round No. 4 wasn’t quite as stellar, his even-par 72 was enough to make a dream come true. Now, he will as he’ll have to wait six months for the Masters and nine months for the Open.

“It means so much. I played a lot of really good golf early in the season, but towards the middle of the year when I traveled overseas, I didn’t play very good golf at all. So, I came out here this week with something to prove, and I’m just really proud of myself the way I handled myself on and off the course,” said Crowe.

The Australian joins an impressive list of former winners of this tournament.

  • 2021: Keita Nakajima
  • 2020: N/A
  • 2019: Yuxin Lin
  • 2018: Takumi Kanaya
  • 2017: Yuxin Lin
  • 2016: Curtis Luck
  • 2015: Cheng Jin
  • 2014: Antonio Murdaca
  • 2013: Chang-woo Lee
  • 2012: Tianlang Guan
  • 2011: Hideki Matsuyama
  • 2010: Hideki Matsuyama
  • 2009: Chang-won Han



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How Much Do Caddies Get Paid at The Masters? (Caddie Payouts) https://golfingagency.com/how-much-do-caddies-get-paid-at-the-masters-caddie-payouts/ https://golfingagency.com/how-much-do-caddies-get-paid-at-the-masters-caddie-payouts/#respond Mon, 03 Oct 2022 17:39:18 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/how-much-do-caddies-get-paid-at-the-masters-caddie-payouts/
How Much Do Caddies Get Paid at The Masters? (Caddie Payouts)

So, you may be wondering how much caddies get paid at a prestigious tournament like The Masters.

Caddies are often part tacticians and part sports psychologists, especially at demanding major championship tracks like Augusta National Golf Club.

Though PGA Tour players get most of the credit for big wins at The Masters, caddies are an integral part of a golfer’s success. Let’s look at how much caddies get paid at The Masters.

 

How Much Caddies Get Paid at The Masters

PGA Tour caddies negotiate a salary with the professional golfer they are teaming up with on the golf course. The weekly rate varies, but most professional caddies earn anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 per tournament. However, some of the top caddies in the world are paid a flat yearly base salary, in addition to their performance bonuses.

While that amount may sound like quite a bit of money, keep in mind that the caddie has to cover his expenses such as airfare, lodging, and meals. However, PGA Tour caddies also receive a share of their golfer’s prize money. The compensation for caddies at The Masters is no different.

The standard practice is that the overall winner of a golf tournament will give 10% of the purse to the caddie. Golfers who finish in the Top 10 will reward their caddie with 7% of their prize money.

Finally, golfers outside the Top 10 will pay 5% of their prize money to their caddies.

 

Do Caddies Get Paid More if Their Player Wins The Masters?

Yes – the caddie of The Masters winner is usually entitled to 10% of the overall purse. So, in the 2022 Masters Tournament, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie took home $270,000 in addition to his weekly paycheck.

No wonder the caddie of the winning golfer is always so excited to see their man get a green jacket!

 

Do Caddies Get Paid if Their Player Misses Cut?

It depends on the caddie’s agreement with the professional golfer, but as a general rule, caddies will only receive their weekly salary when their player misses the cut.

This is because, at most PGA Tour tournaments, players don’t receive any prize money if they miss the cut. There are exceptions, however, as most major tournaments pay all players in the field.

For The Masters, all golfers at Augusta National get $10,000 even if they miss the cut. Golfers who participate at the U.S. Open get the same payout. The PGA Championship also gives players payouts even if they miss the cut, though the amount is much smaller at $3,100.

Most golfers will give their caddie their standard 5% share of these payouts.

 

The Highest Paid Caddy in Golf: Ted Scott

As you might have guessed from our above conversation, the highest-paid caddy in the world is Ted Scott, who mans the bag for Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler has won four times on the PGA Tour in 2022, including wins at The Masters, The Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Waste Management Phoenix Open, and the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play.

The meteoric rise of Scheffler’s performance has led to bonus earnings of over $800,000 for Scott, in addition to his $135,000 yearly salary. That’s a pretty good chunk of change!

Scott is not some Johnny come lately on the PGA Tour. He was on the bag for both of Bubba Watson’s wins at The Masters and has been a professional golf caddie for over twenty years.

 

Other Well Paid Caddies on the PGA Tour

Sam Pinfold

Pinfold is currently the caddie for rising PGA Tour star Cameron Smith, who has won three times this season.

Pinfold received enormous bonuses for Smith’s wins at The Open Championship, The Players Championship, and the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Pinfold’s largest payday was when he took home his 10% share of Smith’s $2.4 million earnings for winning The Open Championship.

Billy Foster

Foster is Matthew Fitzpatrick’s caddie, who recently won the 2022 US Open. Foster was awarded over $300,000 just for helping Fitzpatrick win this prestigious tournament. He also gets a yearly base pay of $115,000.

Jim “Bones” Mackay

Mackay is probably more known for his TV work on the Golf Channel, but he is now carrying the bag for Justin Thomas.

Since JT is one of the best professionals in the world, Mackay has enjoyed some massive paydays while working for him. The largest of which ($270,000) was when Thomas brought home the 2022 PGA Championship.

Gary Matthews

Matthews is an up-and-coming caddie on the PGA Tour, and he is currently on the bag for Joaquin Niemann.

The 23-year-old Chilean won The Genesis Invitational and has won over $4.6 million in prize money this season. In addition to his caddie share bonuses, Matthews pockets a yearly base pay of $120,000.

 

What are a caddie’s primary duties on the golf course?

Contrary to what some believe, a caddie does a whole lot more than just carry their golfer’s bag around the course. Caddies make recommendations as to what club the player should hit. They also keep all of the player’s equipment in pristine condition.

Caddies also study the golf course so that they can inform their golfer of all the little nooks and crannies that they may come across. This allows them to also provide an exact yardage to the player for his approach shots into the green. Caddies are also responsible for tending the pin, fixing any kind of ball marks or divots, and raking the sand traps and bunkers.

However, the caddie’s most crucial duty is to always keep his player calm and in a good head space on the golf course. Golf is a demanding sport, and it can be mentally challenging. This is when a good caddie provides positive reinforcement and encouragement to his golfer.

 

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.



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DANNY WILLETT: “There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think about winning the Masters” https://golfingagency.com/danny-willett-theres-not-a-day-that-goes-by-when-i-dont-think-about-winning-the-masters/ https://golfingagency.com/danny-willett-theres-not-a-day-that-goes-by-when-i-dont-think-about-winning-the-masters/#respond Sat, 10 Sep 2022 20:48:01 +0000 https://golfingagency.com/danny-willett-theres-not-a-day-that-goes-by-when-i-dont-think-about-winning-the-masters/

Six years after his stunning victory at Augusta, Danny Willett is bidding to get his game back into top gear as he returns to the scene of his finest hour and embarks on his 14th season on tour

As he heads off to the airport to travel to Augusta next month, there must be a moment when Danny Willet has to pinch himself that he is a member of exalted group of 90 players who have earned the right to call themselves a ‘Masters champion’.

But whatever else the 34-year-old Yorkshireman is able to achieve in the rest of his career, nothing, perhaps baring a victory in the Open Championship at St Andrews next month, will come close to the elation, and the global recognition, that comes with bagging that cherished title.

“There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think about winning the Masters,” he says. “I can remember almost every shot I hit, and I remember how I felt at each point throughout the week. It’s amazing how you get the same feelings on weeks when you win or do well. Clearly it’s not easy to replicate that feeling, but that week in April was unforgettable to say the least.”

Read all about it: Danny Willett made his own headlines in 2016

Willett, while acknowledging that the win in Georgia back in 2016 changed his life for ever, is also mindful that it signalled the beginning of what has been a very frustrating period of what, by any standards, has been an extremely successful career which began on a council-run course in Sheffield and has so far yielded a major title, seven European Tour wins and almost €20m in prize money.

By his own admission, winning the Masters was both the pinnacle of his career and a curse. While he had achieved his childhood dream, the many lucrative and high profile opportunities which subsequently came his way pushed his already fragile back to breaking point. 

“I was on painkillers when I won the Masters,” he reveals. “Back then it was becoming an issue, but not a huge issue. And then I played and travelled a lot more than I’d planned. I went and played in America, Asia, and my body didn’t cope great with it. In the back of my mind I constantly knew that there was an underlying problem, and any moment it could spring up and hinder my performance. So I was competing and almost waiting for something bad to happen, instead of being completely clear of thoughts, and just actually enjoying the game.”

As the pain worsened, so did the results. Over the course of the next two seasons his world ranking dropped from a high of nine to something in the highs 400s, and there were times, Willett says, when he was almost too ashamed to show up for tournaments. 

“I got to a point where I was feeling like there was almost no point actually playing, because I wasn’t gonna play any good,” he recalls. “I wasn’t living to up to the stature I’d created for myself. It’s embarrassing when you pitch up at golf events and people are expecting you to play pretty well, you’re a Masters champion, and you don’t perform. I was just taking spots and making numbers, which is never a good thing if you’re trying to be a professional golfer.”

Eventually, Willett took drastic steps. He split with his long-time coach and caddy, both of whom had been with him since he started out on the tour, and turned to Canadian golf instructor Sean Foley. Over the course of the next 18 months the pair slowly rebuilt Willett’s golf swing to reduce the strain on his back. 

“I kind of rebuilt the whole team to focus entirely on working on the movement patterns of the golf swing,” he says. “It took a long, long time to sift through all the underlying areas that were causing problems, which meant it took the best part of two months before I was fully pain free again. It’s only been over the last two seasons that I’ve actually been able to focus on performance again. The scores haven’t always been that great, but just being pain-free means I can see that I’m going in the right direction.”

While his physical health has slowly improved over time, Willett says it wasn’t always easy to watch his ranking plummeting. By the time it had dipped into the 400s, he simply tried to see the funny side. 

“There were times I’d look at it and you’d just have to giggle because you know the player that you can be,” he says. “But it got to a stage where it was so poor that there was no point really paying attention to it. It’s how the rankings work. It’s easy to drop a long way down when all your points come off from when you were playing well, but it’s also easy to jump up pretty quickly. Lee Westwood fell all the way down and then came back to no 1; Henrik Stenson has had a couple of topples in his career and came back, Sergio [Garcia] the same. And, of course, Tiger fell all the way down and came back up to the top, before he got injured again.”

Woods’ remarkable rise back in 2018 proved a source of inspiration for Willett. And just like Woods, Willett slowly began to mount something of a comeback. At the end of the 2018 season he won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to break back into the world’s top 100, and the following year he won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, beating Jon Rahm by three shots, to further remind himself, and the world, that he wasn’t quite ready to wave the white flag. 

The last two seasons, both of which were disrupted by Covid – which he also caught himself – have yielded some inconsistent results, but Willett rounded out the 2021 season with a confidence-boosting win at the Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews, the eighth of his 14-year career on the European Tour. 

“I know that my results have been a bit mixed in recent seasons, but I moved out to America full-time with the family in 2018, and it’s taken some time to find my feet on the PGA Tour. It was a bit of a learning phase, trying to find which courses I liked, how to go about things, but the wins, although achieved in Europe, have underlined that when things click, I still have the game to compete, and more importantly, to win.” 

Willett describes himself as being on a clearer path these days which has helped him with the mental side of the game. In the past he’s often referred to a battle with ‘inner noise’ while out on the golf course, and he says that at times during past season he was hitting shots whilst inwardly questioning whether he would ever play again.

“It’s a strange old game when you’re not playing well,” he says. “Everything seems to be against you. You get the bad breaks, and everything that could go wrong, goes wrong. And in the past when I wasn’t playing very good, I’d find myself asking questions like, ‘How good are you ever gonna be?’, ‘Are you going to give up?’ But being technically better has allowed me to think so much clearer out there. 

“For me, the mental side of golf is a chicken and egg thing. If I’m playing great, then there’s no reason why I should be in a bad place. While if I’m struggling with my game, then the psychology part is a pretty tricky one, because you end up asking yourself a lot of questions that you don’t really know the answers to. And that’s when it gets hard to actually concentrate on the game, because there’s so many other things going on in there!”

But having gone through such a tough period, Willett now feels he’s a lot more resilient through the bad patches, as he attempts to make his way back up to the top 100 and beyond.

“Before, everything was based around me playing good golf, but 

now I’ve come to realise that if I hit a couple of bad shots, it’s not the end of the world,” he says. “Everyone hits bad shots. If you’re relying so heavily on results to keep you happier on a golf course, that’s a pretty vulnerable place to be. Now I just feel that if I keep doing the right things, inevitably something good will come of it.”

Can Willett avoid being a permanent one-hit wonder, and add to his tally of major titles? While he dreams of once again being in contention down the final straight, for now he’s simply enjoying the thrill of competing pain-free.

“I’ve not really got any long term goals,” he says. “Out of all the sports, I think this is one of the most difficult, because you can’t control what other people are doing, what the weather’s doing, so I think career goals is a completely pointless aspect. 

“But it’s a big difference to be able to play without pain again, and know that what you’re working on has helped you to get that way. I was 29 when me and Foles got together, and I wasn’t sure how long my career was gonna be. But now my body’s in good shape, I’ve got maybe another 10 years, which is a pretty long time. That’s the main thing really, this is my 14th year of being a professional, and I want my career to be as long as it possibly can and as good as it possibly can.”

Asked whether a return to St Andrews for this year’s Open Championship, scene of two of his European Tour wins, might bring about a second major title, Willett remains cautious, but upbeat.

“I played alongside Zach Johnson the year that he won in 2015, and I finished sixth. I like the golf course and I enjoy the set up for the Open. It’s an interesting golf course. It gives you ways out. If you are nervous, you aim down the left on any hole you want. If you’re out of position a little bit too much, you can’t get to a few of the flags. But, as I said, I like the course and I’ve had some good experiences around there, so it will be interesting to give it a shot.”

In the meantime, Willett has the small matter of preparing for a return to the Masters, in what will be his eighth appearance at the season’s first major. The tournament has not been kind to him since his win with four missed cuts from five attempts, although a tied 25th in 2020, gave him a lift.

After that, Willett will be back on hosting duties at the British Masters at The Belfry in May, a role he enjoyed last year when it was also hosted at the iconic Midlands venue. Being a proud Englishman, it’s a tournament he would dearly love to win, but it’s a feat that has so far proved elusive to its hosts, with Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood all unable to present themselves with the trophy.

“I can see why others haven’t performed well on the course when they’ve hosted,” says Willett. “You want to try and play well and put a good performance in, but you also want to make sure the week goes as planned for other people as well as yourself, so it’s a tricky one. I can see why guys have struggled in the past, but fingers crossed I can change that and have a nice week.”

We’ve all got them crossed, Danny. 

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