New dad Danny Willett out for Masters glory

A little more than a week after welcoming his first child Zachariah James into the world, the Hackenthorpe-raised golfer will tee off at Augusta National today.

And while he arrived in Georgia later than normal this week, he will be determined to continue his remarkable rise up golf’s world rankings.

His place in the game’s most iconic tournament had been in doubt until Zachariah made an early appearance last week.

Wife Nicole had been due to give birth on Sunday and Willett insisted he would not travel to Augusta if his son had not arrived.

But he heads down Magnolia Lane with a genuine chance of claiming his first Major title, even if he is being discussed in outsider terms at the start of the event.

He secured his Masters debut last year by sneaking into the world top 50 right at the end of 2014. The 28-year-old will tee off at 6.39pm today standing 12th in the world and almost certain of a place on the European Ryder Cup team later this year.

Willett has managed three top four finishes in six tournament outings so far this season, including victory in the Dubai Desert Classic and third place at the Cadillac Championship in Florida last month.

Fellow Sheffield golfer Matt Fitzpatrick will be looking to ignite his year with a strong performance at Augusta.

The 21-year-old has struggled to replicate his strong end to last season in the early months of 2016.

He has missed two cuts so far this year but has shown improvement on his two recent outings in World Golf Championships events in the United States.

Fitzpatrick is back in Augusta for the first time since making his debut in 2014 when he was one of the world’s leading amateurs.

Fitzpatrick is out at 4.38pm today alongside European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke and Billy Horschel.