AUGUSTA,🐷 Ga. — Danny Willett had the most memorable week of his life a year ago when, as a relative unknown on the world golf stage, he won the Masters — forever changing his life.
This week’s title de💎fense was not as memorable for Willett, who missed the cut Friday after following his opening-round🉐 73 with a second-round 78.
𓆏Willett’s week was sabotaged by the first hole at August💯a National, which he took 14 strokes to play over the two rounds — 6-over on one hole. He played the rest of the golf course in 1-over and missed the cut by one shot.
“The golf cour𒈔se is set up tough,’’ Willett said. “Around Augusta right now you’re averaging 75 and 76 now because it’s tricky 𓆉golf. If we could take back a couple of shots, obviously … ’’
Willett insisted on nꦗot letting this week take away from what he did ൲a year ago.
“You’re still a Masters champion,’’ he said. “There’s still pressure that you put on yourself and that people I guess put on you to kind of play well. It’s been a tricky 12 months, but we haven’t played great g🌞olf. But by the same token, if you look at the career that we’ve had, we’ve not really had a slump in form in two years. We’ve had two fabulous years.And when you have a little bit of a downturn and it feels like the world is coming to an end.’’
Willett was not the only notable to miss the cut. Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson (8-over), reigning British Open champion Henrik Stenson (8-over), Patrick ✅Reed (9-over) and Jim Furyk (7-over) al🔯l failed to make the cut.
Watson tweaked some reporters asking him about missing the cut, saying, “Golf is tou𒊎gh. I don’t know if you’ve ever played it. But writing articles is easy.’’
Watson later apologized fo𓄧r what he termed “a bad ꦺjoke,’’ saying, “My joke’s as bad as my golf was this week. I love all journalists.’’
William McGirt was just minutes removed from completing his second round when someone asked him how it sounded to be 2-under and just two shots out of𒊎 the lead through 36 holes.
“It sounds awesome,’’ the 37-year-old journeyman playing in his first Masters said. “I don’t know that you could 🐻write this in a script an🔥d have it come out any better … unless it was about a 10-‑shot lead.’’
McGirt followed his opening-roun𝐆d 69 with a 73. The last player to win the Masters🍬 on his first try was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
“To be sitting oﷺn 2‑under-par right now, knowing that I’m going into the weekend, [and] I get to play the weekend in my first Masters is huge,’’ McGirt said. “The good news is, I haven’t shot myself out of the tournament. Th♛ere’s still two more days of golf, so anything can happen. But give myself a chance is all I can ask for.
“It’s pretty cool to get to play the weekend in your first Masters. To be in a position to be able to make a run on the weekend makes it even more special. Honestly, I couldn’t have written a s💎cript much better.’’
Jon Rahm, the 22-year-old Spaniard, is 1-under and in the mix after shooting 70🥃.
“I’m close enough,’’ Rahm said. “I knew anything around even par [Friday] was g🅷oing to be decent. If I can get off to a fast start [Saturday], a couple under through 3, I’ll be right there.’’
Rahm has ignored the fact there has not been a first-time Masters winner sin🐼ce 1979.
“Well, fiဣrst-‑timers don’t usually have a great history at Torrey Pines either and I was able to win that,’’ he said of the Farmers Insurance Open, which he won in January. “I kept that in mind. There’s nothing that says I’m going to play bad or that I should play bad.’’