Masters champ, Danny Willett returns to Augusta

The Englishman, 29, won his first major after a shock win at Augusta, aided by American Jordan Spieth’s collapse.

Pieters, who won a record four points from his five matches in Europe’s defeat at Hazeltine, had raced to the turn in 32 with birdies on the second, fourth, fifth and eighth, despite swirling winds making scoring hard. However, getting past the first without feeling as though you are heading for the next tee on a stretcher could also be a factor on this occasion.

Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, finished with birdies on Nos.

“I know a number of guys on our [PGA] Tour that are loose with how they mark their ball and have not been called on it”, he said earlier in the week.

But Spieth knew what he had to do.

Cabrera Bello is a danger as everything I said prior to round one remains true, but it’s now three very poor rounds in succession and the signs are pretty ominous.

“A few weeks back, I sort of sat back on a week off and asked some people what I needed to do better, and asked myself what I needed to do better, and I just needed to believe a little bit more”. “I was relieved to see it down and on the green”.

“My low one’s lower than everyone else’s, so I can actually kill someone at head high”.

Consistency has been the key for Hatton in recent months and fine performances in his past two majors, The Open and US PGA where he finished fifth and 10th, seemingly put the young Marlow man on the brink of something special.

The reigning US Open champion had been the oddsmakers’ favourite in the year’s first major golf championship after winning his three prior starts but hurt himself in a fall down stairs Wednesday at a rental house.

“If I can have a good putting weekend”, Mickelson said, “I’m going to have a good chance”. Then he bogeyed 14.

McIlroy added a 73 to his opening 72 after a stroke of bad luck on the 18th when his approach clattered into the pin and rebounded 20 yards off the green.

“You think of it being a birdie hole, obviously being a par-5”, Spieth said. So I didn’t take my medicine. “The bottom line is you’ve got to hit in the right spots and you’ve got to be able to make a 10-footer”. The creek fronts the shallow green with bunkers in front and behind. I’m a great believer that if you love to do something, you are quite good at it. He didn’t, but he was still at it until he had carded the messy 9. This is not a trend Spieth wants to continue.

That attitude was a major asset on a hard first day and, whatever the weather, he should outscore Kim with little trouble. “He’d best be, otherwise I’ll be in the kitchen making sure – if they go a bit flat, we’re not going to be happy”, he said with a smile.

Spieth was nothing if not optimistic about the rest of the tournament. Could he finally make the jump to win the tournament this year? “And I certainly can post single digit under par at this point”. I look forward to it, and I look forward to the challenge the next three days.

As long as he avoids the quadruple bogeys.