Former Masters champ Danny Willett eschews driver, still shoots 66 Friday

Danny Willett carded a second-round 66 on Friday at the Masters Tournament, which included six birdies and an eagle. He accomplished the feat without a driver.

“I cracked the face on the driver this morning, so we played the second round with a 3‑wood,” Willett said. “It seemed to work quite well.”

The 2016 Masters champion from England broke his driver on the 17th hole Friday morning as he completed his first round. Willett confirmed that he owns a replacement, but elected to keep it out of his bag between rounds.

“It's nice to see everyone 340 out there and we're hitting 3‑wood,” Willett said. “But this golf course I play quite a lot of 3‑woods around here anyway. Always have.”

Willett began his second round with a double-bogey at No. 10, his first hole of the day. The Englishman responded with an eagle at No. 13, and birdies on Nos. 14, 15, 17, 2, 3 and 9.

As of Friday afternoon, Willett was undecided on whether the driver would return. Willett enters the weekend at 7-under par.

“We're going to have a little look,” Willett said. “But if it's not something that really stands out, we'll end up just playing as we have done today. I feel more comfortable with the 3‑wood that we've used for a long time now. The driver is maybe not worth it, so we'll just have to wait and see.”

Willett woke up at 4:30 a.m. Friday to prepare for the completion of his first round. With two young sons, he said getting up early has become commonplace.

“It's a nice early start for us,” Willett said. “You know, we usually get up early with the kids.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Willett has remained in the United States, and has spent time teaching his children, Zachariah and Noah, how to ride a bike and swim.

“It’s been great to spend time with the family, understanding we'll never be able to do it again,” Willett said.