MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 12, 2024

Danny Willett

Quick Quotes

Q. Danny, not the finish you wanted, but how would you sum up the day?

DANNY WILLETT: It was tough out there. No, not the finish. Yeah, it was a shame, but one of those things.

I think 1-under after a couple of rounds, might be five or six back, but from where it's been, in for the weekend, and can still make a run and have a good finish.

Q. Did you expect to play this well in two rounds coming into this event?

DANNY WILLETT: No. But unfortunately when you get under the gun and start playing all right, you start thinking about different things.

It will be lovely to be here on the weekend. Fingers crossed it's not pumping 50 over the weekend.

Q. How much is adrenaline getting you through this week, and how much is it just you're back to close to feeling 100 percent?

DANNY WILLETT: Fitness levels are fine. It was more just, like I said, the shots that you need to hit, there's still a couple out there that I can't quite yet.

But another two rounds under the belt over the weekend. Then seven weeks off afterwards to keep getting ready for when I'm coming back properly. So, no, all good.

Q. What are the shots that are giving you trouble still?

DANNY WILLETT: Just the ones that you've not been used to. Like I said, on the driving range it's different. You come out here and the visuals are a bit strange and you've got certain shots you need to hit, and you probably haven't done enough reps because you don't have enough time.

Like I said, a couple of months left before we're going to start playing again full-time. We kind of take this week and work on what we think we need to do, and hopefully it will be good.

Q. You talked a bit yesterday about how you play out here on Sundays. What were you maybe expecting to feel when you played on Sunday? Then like as the round started itself, what it was like to feel that?

DANNY WILLETT: I wasn't expecting to -- I've been playing at home. It's not the pain. It was more just to see if it would cope and be all right playing Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Basically, it's the whole -- I played five times last week when I was at home, and it was fine.

In two weeks I've played a lot of golf, but it was more for the fact to see if it can hold up, which it can. Sunday was more about seeing how the visual suited your eye and if you can hit the shots that you want. As we've proved, we can still most of them, but there's still a couple that are not quite where we want them to be.

One of the best fields in golf and being able to play into the weekend and be in the top 10 at the minute, and being able to go have a beer now and watch the guys battle that back nine.

Q. It's been a long time since mentally you've had to put a scorecard together. Can you talk about how hard that was?

DANNY WILLETT: It was tricky. Yesterday the first tee shot was tough. Nerves, anxiety. You know that your practice has been all right, but you have visions of topping off the 1st tee or doing whatever. It's a strange one, 6 1/2 months is a long time. And even though you've practiced it's different when your hands are shaking and you've got people watching you as opposed to practicing at home.

It's been nice. It's been great. The patrons here, when I come back here, I get amazing support from the guys out there. It's nice to get another two days here.

Q. There are some guys here that are past champions that are leaving today. Can you talk about the anticipation of coming here, playing well, and realizing that didn't happen and you're out the door on Friday?

DANNY WILLETT: That's happened a few times.

It's tough being a past champion, I think. There's a lot that goes on in the week. A lot of the guys come and do the Drive, Chip, and Putt on Sunday, then we've got the dinner Tuesday, Par-3 on Wednesday. They've obviously most of the time got a lot of family and friends that want to come watch them play, and it gets quite busy.

This week has been really nice. Me and Nick left the kids at home with my mom and dad, and it's just the two of us. Actually it's been nice to concentrate on the main thing this week, which was trying to get the golf in a place where we could play and perform.

I think it is tough as a past champion at times because there's a lot of other distractions that go on with the week. Luckily I'll be around for the weekend.

Q. Is there a shot that has been particularly satisfying these last couple of days?

DANNY WILLETT: 4-iron on 11 was nice today. The pitch-in on 8 was nice as well. Then nearly holed the second shot on 10. There's been a few actually. It's been all right so far. There's been a few nice ones.

Q. What happened on 18?

DANNY WILLETT: We went in that front trap, and I thought the sand was all right, but with the wind making the sand drifts almost, and there was a helluva lot of sand in the front of it and not much in the front.

Not the way you want to finish the day, but top 10 going into the weekend. Press on.