Loser: Danny Willett first defending champ since Mike Weir to miss cut
The last time a defending Masters champion didn’t make it to the weekend was in 2004 when Canadian Mike Weir missed the cut.
Perhaps in part due to some nerves at being the defending champ, Willett botched the opening hole on Thursday with a double-bogey and then again Friday when he posted an awful quadruple-bogey to get his second round started in the worst possible way.
“If the drive on the first was a foot off the edge of the trap,” he said, per James Corrigan of The Telegraph. “If it goes in the bunker it’s not too bad; if it goes a foot right you can get a stance. Not the best start. I played some pretty good golf in the middle there and couldn’t hole a bean. You’ve seen on the last there, I had a chance to salvage something from a tricky day.”
The Englishman had a chance to squeak in and play the weekend heading into his 36th hole. Hoping for a birdie to ensure his chances, he airmailed his tee off the 18th tee, pitched out, hit a brilliant shot from roughly 100 yards out but then missed his par putt in agonizing fashion.
Given the fact Willett hasn’t been able to generate any momentum this year it’s not surprising his Masters encore fell so flat. Still, it had to have been a bitter pill to swallow.