Yahoo Finance English Golfer Danny Willett Wins The Masters
Golfer Danny Willett has won the Masters at Augusta, his first major title and the first win by an Englishman in 20 years.
The 28-year-old shot a closing 67 to finish five under par, with defending champion Jordan Spieth three shots back tying for second with Briton Lee Westwood
Willett, a four-times winner on the European Tour competing in his second Masters, birdied three of the last six holes to cap off a bogey-free display and become only the second Englishman to win the coveted Green Jacket and $1.8m (£1.27m) top prize, following three-times champion Nick Faldo.
Willett had been in doubt for the year's first major before his wife Nicole gave birth to the couple's first child.
Her due date had been Sunday but the baby, named Zachariah James, was instead born by C-section a week ahead of the tournament.
After his win, he said: "You can't really describe your emotions and feelings.
"Someone has got to win and today was my day.
"I played great golf. It has been a fantastic week.
"It was just a very surreal day ... and a crazy, crazy week."
The Sheffield golfer left school at 16 and quit a college course after a month, declaring that he "hated it". He then made the move to the US, attending Jacksonville State in Alabama for two years.
His parents, the Reverend Steve and Elisabet Willett, have spoken of their pride at the win.
His mother, who revealed she had placed a £10 bet on her son to win and had won £1,150, told Sky News: "He phoned us at 3am and I think he really couldn't believe what had happened. He was stunned.
"We thought he was drunk at first, but he said 'no, I am stone sober and I've done about three hours of interviews'."
His father, who has confessed to having kept his son off school in his younger days after late sessions on the course, added: "We are pretty proud and incredibly tired. We haven't slept much.
"I knew there was something special about him."
As the golfer was making history, his brother Paul Willett's tweets went viral on social media.
He gave an amusing commentary on Twitter as his brother climbed the leaderboard, including: "If the boy does what he should, I will be able to say 'I've shared a bath with a Masters winners - brilliant."
His brother Matthew Willett told Sky News: "Winning the Masters was a dream fro him. When he went out there he will have had every intention of winning it."
Spieth, the American world number two, had stormed five strokes in front with nine holes to play and victory seemingly assured when he bogeyed the 10th and 11th before running up a nightmare seven at the par-three 12th.
He appeared to fight back tears as he told CBS: "It's tough, really tough.
"Four birdies in a row and I knew that even par (on the back nine) is good by at least a shot and sometimes that makes it hard.
"You go away from the game plan and start playing conservative.
"A few weak swings and suddenly I am not leading anymore."
