The Masters 2024: Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood among English quintet chasing Augusta glory | Golf News

The boys’s main golf season kicks off this week at The Masters and there will probably be a couple of Englishmen vying to get their fingers on the coveted inexperienced jacket.

Whereas the foremost has, since its inception in 1934, been dominated by American winners – solely 24 of the tournaments being received by non-Individuals – these Englishmen which have received it have made their mark.

From Sir Nick Faldo’s hat-trick of victories to Danny Willett’s shock win, they made their second rely at Augusta Nationwide.

So, with The Masters simply across the nook, we take a better take a look at the English hopefuls aiming to make 2024 their 12 months…

Historical past: Which Englishmen have received earlier than?

Sir Nick Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996)

If there’s one Englishman’s title who’s synonymous with The Masters, it’s Sir Nick Faldo.

A 3-time champion, Faldo has donned the Inexperienced Jacket greater than most, one in every of solely three gamers to go back-to-back on the long-lasting course.

In his maiden Masters victory, Faldo was main the pack after 27 holes after which began to slide again, changing into concerned in a dramatic closing spherical the place six gamers led at one level throughout the again 9.

Putts on the Eleventh, sixteenth, and seventeenth sealed a play-off in opposition to Scott Hoch for the title, Hoch ‘choking’ on the primary further gap as he missed a two-foot par putt, permitting Faldo the prospect to birdie the second further gap for the win.

Partnered with 18-time main champion Jack Nicklaus within the 1990 closing spherical, Faldo then edged out Raymond Floyd in a play-off to turn out to be the primary participant since Nicklaus himself to defend his Masters win.

It appeared like his crown was slipping when he double-bogeyed the opening gap after driving right into a bunker after which three-putting.

Nevertheless, Faldo held his nerve to pressure the play-off, the Englishman chipping an eight-iron down the hill to 18 toes, from the place he safely made par to retain the title and declare the third of his six main victories.

{The golfing} legend then needed to wait six years to don the inexperienced jacket as soon as once more, beating out LIV golf CEO Greg Norman in 1996, Norman dropping a six-shot result in give Faldo the win.

Danny Willett (2016)

If there’s one phrase that sums up Willett’s Masters win in 2016 it’s ‘drama’.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth held a one-shot lead heading into the ultimate day, with the then 22-year-old trying to turn out to be the youngest two-time Masters champion and solely the fourth back-to-back winner of the inexperienced jacket.

Spieth was the primary defending champion to carry the 54-hole lead since Ben Hogan in 1954 and was on a run of seventh consecutive Masters rounds the place he both led or was co-leader, breaking Arnold Palmer’s report of six that was set again in 1961.

Willett was three adrift of the chief on even par and had by no means received knowledgeable occasion by coming from greater than a stroke behind on the ultimate day.

Spieth raced clear on the entrance 9 and posted 4 consecutive birdies from the sixth to succeed in the flip with a five-shot lead, solely to observe back-to-back bogeys from the tenth by hitting it into Rae’s Creek twice on the twelfth on his strategy to a quadruple-bogey seven.

Willett, making solely his second Masters look, posted a final-day 67 – equalling the second-lowest bogey-free successful spherical at Augusta – to say a three-shot win and a maiden main title.

Hopes in 2024: Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick, and a Willett double

Matt Fitzpatrick

Masters wins: 0

PGA Tour wins: 2

Main wins: 1 (US Open 2022)

Fitzpatrick has discovered some actually good kind not too long ago, placing himself in a doubtlessly successful place heading into the ultimate spherical of the Gamers Champions 2024, and might take confidence from such a stable efficiency into the 2024 Masters.

Fitzpatrick is aware of tips on how to carry out at Augusta Nationwide, ending inside the highest 15 on his final two begins, and with 10 years of Masters expertise beneath his belt, he may catapult himself into much more {golfing} stardom if his brief sport is on level and he can keep calm beneath strain within the closing spherical.

The 2022 US Open champion heads into The Masters having completed tied for tenth finally week’s Valero Texas Open and are available fifth at The Gamers Championship, the place he carded 4 sub-70 rounds.

The 29-year-old put that top-five end at TPC Sawgrass all the way down to getting again to his finest off the tee, which he believes results in him taking part in a few of his finest golf.

“I drove it like I really feel like I can drive it,” Fitzpatrick stated. “To me, it felt a bit like my previous self: drove the ball effectively, putted effectively, and that is at all times been the important thing to once I’ve performed effectively, actually.”

Tommy Fleetwood

Masters wins: 0

PGA Tour wins: 0

Main wins: 0

Tommy Fleetwood has turn out to be considerably of an almost man of late, placing in stable performances in majors and on the PGA Tour however simply at all times lacking out on victory by the smallest of margins.

Fleetwood’s finest efficiency within the Masters was again in 2022 when he completed T14 however after a stable 12 months, he will probably be hoping that in 2024 he lastly will get the win on the most important stage.

He has seven prime 10 finishes in majors and famend golf teacher Butch Harmon, who has labored with Fleetwood, is backing him to recover from the road within the first of 2024.

“I feel he is prepared to interrupt out and win a serious,” Harmon stated. “He is bought an amazing sport for Augusta, he’s a right-to-left participant.

“In our two years collectively he is improved each side of his sport. He is a really constant participant, he handles the scenario effectively when he will get in there. He had a great probability to win two majors final 12 months – he was proper in there in each Opens and he misplaced the Canadian Open to a man who holed a 72 footer, so he is due a break himself.

“He is taking part in with a variety of confidence and I am somebody who thinks Tommy Fleetwood is not only among the finest golfers on the planet but additionally one of many nicest guys on the planet. So I hope he can get it carried out.”

Danny Willett

Masters wins: 1

PGA Tour wins: 1

Main wins: 1 (Masters 2016)

Willett will probably be utilizing The Masters in 2024 as an opportunity to make a comeback after a foul shoulder harm.

The 2016 champion had surgical procedure again in September however has focused the Masters for a giant comeback, Willett routinely qualifying resulting from his earlier victory.

He has endured some struggles at Augusta Nationwide since his triumph eight years in the past, failing to make the lower on 5 of seven events and with a finest end of tied for twelfth in 2022.

This 12 months’s match will mark his first outing for the reason that 2023 BMW PGA Championship, the place he completed tied for sixty fourth, and he’s desperate to make an impression once more on one in every of golf’s grandest phases.

“I performed 18 holes plus the par-three course on Sunday, however we’re nonetheless taking part in it by ear, seeing how the physique holds up,” Willett stated forward of this week’s match. “You do not wish to come and simply make up the numbers, you wish to come and know you’ll be able to hit sure photographs and do sure issues.

“Until one thing occurs that I do not like the texture of, I am optimistic that I will be teeing it up on Thursday. It is in all probability about 80/20 in favour proper now.”

Justin Rose

Masters wins: 0

PGA Tour wins: 11

Main wins: 1 (US Open 2013)

Rose has completed runner up at The Masters twice, in 2015 and 2017, and has an extra 4 top-10 finishes within the match.

The 43-year-old has not been in one of the best of kind on the PGA Tour to this point this 12 months although, with a tied-Eleventh end on the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am a uncommon brilliant spot.

He has completed no larger than tied-Fortieth on any of his different begins and was pressured to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after struggling again spasms, then missed the lower at The Gamers Championship.

Rose is, nevertheless, a former main champion having triumphed within the US Open in 2013 and an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour, with the newest of these successes coming finally 12 months’s AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am.

Regardless of his up-and-down kind, Rose stays formidable on his day.

Tyrrell Hatton

Masters wins: 0

PGA Tour wins: 1

Main wins: 0

Hatton made headlines earlier this 12 months by becoming a member of reigning Masters champion and Ryder Cup team-mate Jon Rahm in switching to the LIV Golf collection.

He heads to Augusta Nationwide having secured a sixth-place end, his finest since switching, on the match in Miami final weekend and serving to Legion XIII win the crew competitors for the second time since crossing golf’s divide.

Certainly one of 13 LIV gamers competing within the first main of the 12 months, Hatton’s finest efficiency at The Masters in his seven earlier appearances is a tied-18th end in 2021. The 32-year-old performed down any discuss of the rivalry between the totally different excursions this week although.

“I’d say the media goes to make it extra LIV, PGA Tour, European Tour, no matter,” Hatton stated.

“Finally, on the finish of the day, that does not actually matter. There are guys who play on these excursions who’re our mates. We hit it off with them.

“However after we exit on the golf course we’ll strive our greatest to win. At majors it would not matter what facet you are on, you are simply making an attempt your finest.”

When is The Masters on Sky Sports activities?

Wall-to-wall protection from the match begins at 2pm over the primary two rounds on Thursday April 11 and Friday April 12, with Featured Group motion and common updates from across the course obtainable to take pleasure in on Sky Sports activities Golf till the worldwide broadcast window begins at 8pm.

There will probably be plenty of further motion all through all 4 days through the pink button on Sky Sports activities Golf, together with Sky Q and Sky Glass, offering loads of bonus feeds and permitting you to observe gamers’ progress by means of varied elements of Augusta’s well-known format.

Sky Sports activities Golf will present prolonged build-up content material over the weekend and occasional dwell updates from the course earlier than the worldwide broadcast window begins at 8pm for the third spherical and 7pm for the ultimate day, with early motion obtainable all through through the pink button.

Who will win The Masters? Watch dwell from April 11-14 completely on Sky Sports activities. Stay protection begins with Featured Teams on Thursday April 11 from 2pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.

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