Winning Is An Addictive Feeling. Unfortunately It's Not Quite That Simple

DANNY WILLETT experienced the highest of highs at Augusta in 2016, before a prolonged period of indifferent form. Here, the Englishman talks us through the last two years and what he’s learned along the way.

- Iain Carter

Danny Willett is making notes in a little black book – the handwriting appears neat and diligent. It is clear there are no shortcuts and there’s no reliance on a smartphone and its cloud for back up. This is DIY note-taking, and whatever he is writing is worth the effort of doing it properly; the old-school way. He closes the book and looks up, smiles and offers a warm, firm handshake. “Right, what do you want to know?” he says. “Well, actually, I’d love to know what it is like to win The Masters,” I reply.

There are surprisingly few golfers who can answer this question. Willett, the 2016 champion, is one of only 50 men to don the champion’s Green Jacket in the entire history of the tournament. Surprisingly, his answer does not begin with the glamour of the moment, the glow of success or the extra respect such a victory commands from professional peers. Instead, he pinpoints exactly what lies behind such victories. “You work incredibly hard all your life,” he starts. “Nobody wants to be a professional golfer and only be all right.” In other words, you want to do things properly, just as he was doing with the notes he was compiling ahead of this interview. And for Willett, that meant being inspired by the greatest golfer of modern times.

“For me it was Tiger Woods. You see all the tournaments he’s won and the Majors he’s won, the way he’s performed and what he’s done for the game and that’s kind of where you want to go,” says the 30-year-old from South Yorkshire. “The only problem is that as soon as you win one, you want to win another. Winning is an addictive feeling and you want to do it over and over again. Unfortunately it’s not quite that simple.”