Danny Willett proved an Englishman could win again at Augusta after a lengthy drought since Sir Nick Faldo’s last victory there in 1996 and there’s plenty of English talent on display again this year.
Willett struggled in the years following that victory, dropping to as low as 482nd in the world ranking. However, he recaptured his form to win last year’s DP World Tour Championship. So far this year, he has yet to post a top ten finish on the PGA Tour.
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Paul Casey has been a solid performer on the PGA Tour for a number of years, after a few seasons beset by injury and loss of form, once dropping to as low as 169th in the world ranking in 2013. He has not finished outside the top 15 in the last four editions of The Masters, including a run of 6th – 4th – 6th from 2015-17. He’s a crisp ball striker and has a solid all round game, and he’s started strongly this year, winning his third PGA Tour title at the Valspar Championship.
Last year’s Ryder Cup debutant Tommy Fleetwood will fancy his chances having previously impressed at the highest level. The 28-year-old has an eye for the big occasion, shooting a 63 en route to a runner-up finish at last year’s US Open and had a chance at last month’s Players Championship but suffered a final round 73 to fall back. He missed the cut in horrible conditions on his Masters debut in 2017 and finished T17 last year.
Tyrrell Hatton has four career top tens in the Majors since 2016 and makes his third Masters appearance looking to improve on his T44 last year, while Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter will be brimming with confidence as he heads down Magnolia Lane for a tilt at the title. He has plenty of Augusta experience with three top tens to his name and has been in superb touch this year with four top-6 finishes on the European Tour including a T3 in Mexico.
Matthew Fitzpatrick has only one Major top ten which came at The Masters in 2016 and the 24-year-old recently finished runner-up at Bay Hill to receive a special PGA Tour exempt membership for the remainder of the season.
Justin Rose has a win under his belt this year at the Farmers Insurance Open and an excellent record at The Masters with two previous runner-up finishes, including a gut-wrenching play-off loss to Ryder Cup colleague Sergio Garcia two years ago. He posted a share of eighth place at The Players after bouncing back from an opening round 74.
