Last September, after tying for 67th at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Danny Willett met with doctors to discuss a lingering shoulder issue. The physicians then told him he would have to undergo surgery, which would keep him sidelined for 12 to 18 months.
Seven months later, Willett is contending at The Masters after opening with a 4-under 68.
“It’s unexpected, isn’t it?” Willett asked after Thursday’s round.
“No, practice has been good. Again, it was never an issue of whether or not the shoulder was strong enough; it was whether or not I could hit the shots I wanted to.”
The Englishman hit plenty of solid shots he wanted to, including his approach into the treacherous 1st green, where he cashed in his first birdie of the day.
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“Two good, great shots and a lovely putt there kind of settles the nerves a little bit,” Willett said of the opening hole.
“Just one of those days where we played clever, some pins that we’ve seen out there.”
Indeed, Willett has plenty of experience at Augusta National. He famously raced past Jordan Spieth in 2016 to win the Green Jacket and his first—and currently only—major championship. That also remains Willett’s lone PGA Tour victory.
His knowledge clearly came in handy on Thursday, but he did feel a little anxious ahead of his opening round—mostly because he had not tested his shoulder in competition.
“It’s just the amount of reps. I’ve not been able to hit every single shot,” Willett noted.
“To be honest, it was more the reps and me being a bit nervous 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 practiced enough. It was more the nerves and the anxiety of being in a place where you’re not going to make a fool of yourself. It’s actually turned out all right.”
It sure did turn out all right.
His 68 on Thursday marked his lowest round at Augusta National since 2021, when he carded a 6-under 66 during the second round.
And yet, he had not played competitively since September.
“I haven’t been under the gun since Wentworth, under pressure, having to hit certain shots at certain times when there actually are consequences. It’s nice to come and prove that if you’ve done the work and you do the right things and you can hit the shots still when you need to,” Willett explained.
“Everything is just a building block. This was a completely neutral week. Whether I played or not I was still going to come here and enjoy being here. 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.”
It’s also nice to finish with three birdies over the last four holes, which Willett did.
All in all, anyone would take Willett’s opening round—let alone someone who should currently be rehabbing a shoulder.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
