Defending champ Willett overcomes slow start

Defending Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett was standing on the No. 3 tee box Thursday and knew the situation.

“That was not quite the start I envisioned over the last 12 months,” Willett said.

Willett’s tee shot off No. 1 hit a tree, the errant shot leading to a double bogey 6. On No. 2, Willett found more trouble when he was in a fairway bunker sitting two and settled for bogey six on the par 5.

Considering Willett was 3-over-par after two holes, finishing 1-over 73 in the tough conditions caused by strong winds was a good day.

“We played pretty steady from there on,” said the 29-year-old Englishman. “We hit some nice shots if you can call them that in this wind. There was a lot of creativity needed out there.”

Willett jump-started his round and gained his composure after the shaky start by building momentum on No. 3. He found the fairway with his drive, put his second shot to within 13 feet and made the birdie putt.

Over the final 15 holes, despite the wind testing his patience on the No. 15 green, Willett played 2-under, his highlight an eagle 3 at No. 13 when he ripped his second shot from 220-yards to within 10 feet.

Matt Kuchar, who along with Curtis Luck, played in Willett’s grouping and praised the comeback he witnessed.

“Danny kind of had a bad first two holes and then started playing some really good golf,” Kuchar said. “That was impressive after his start.”

Willett’s par at No. 15 was also a sign of not giving up.

Willett had a legitimate birdie opportunity after his third shot stopped about 15 feet away on the top shelf of the green. But then the wind tested his patience. He sat his ball down after marking it and started looking at his read. The ball suddenly rolled back down a hill on the fringe 32 feet away, but he still got down in two.

“We marked it and lined it up,” Willett said. “We took the mark away and walked around having a look and had a gust come through and knocked it eight foot back onto the fringe. I said to (caddie) Jon (Smart), it’s a good thing it wasn’t too shaved down or we could been back over the water in the drop area.”

Willett was greeted with polite applause throughout his first round played as a Masters champion. Willett’s highest level of respect arrived from the officials and patrons around the tee boxes. The crowd following him, especially on the front nine, was not large, much to the disdain of 61-year-old patron Bill Widmayer of Atlanta.

“This crowd isn’t doing him justice,” Widmayer said. “He deserves better. I think a lot of people think Jordan Spieth lost it last year and Willett didn’t win it. But he came through on the last day and what he was able to do coming home on the back nine, he deserves a bigger crowd watching him.”

Willett said after a year of talking about winning last year’s Masters Tournament, the chance to get back at Augusta National was a nice relief.

“Yeah, you are glad to get this round over,” Willett said. “It’s always great to be here and me and Jon were giggling about it saying it doesn’t really matter what happens. We have been working hard at it, but the form has not quite been there. But it’s just one more year and fortunately for me and Jon we are going to be here for the next 35 to 40 years. That’s a nice feeling when you don’t have to do everything straight away and you know you are here for life.”