Danny Willett will not be resting on his Masters laurels as he returns to action this week – as he told Inside Snooker at the Crucible last month.
Yes, it’s a snooker site really, but there are a few golf fans on here too, he loves the game and this was a third year in a row Willett had come to the World Championship. And it deserved more space than it got in the national papers, so here it is in full.
The 28-year-old claimed a life-changing first Major victory at Augusta a month ago after Jordan Spieth imploded around Amen Corner.
Yorkshireman Willett will tee it up golf’s unofficial ‘fifth Major’ in the Players Championship at Sawgrass on Thursday.
And also in the field, similarly playing for the first time since that momentous day in Georgia, will be Spieth.
Willett has spent time with his family and been feted for his success, while the 22-year-old Spieth has attempted to come to terms with one of the biggest setbacks of his burgeoning career.
But a fierce competitor and young man in golfing terms, Willett is keen to back up a triumph that has set him up for life.
Appearances in a first Ryder Cup and the Olympics for GB look nailed-on.
And Willett said: “The Masters win was amazing – but there is so much good stuff coming up this year still. You have got the Olympics, the Ryder Cup and three more Majors.
“Probably most sportspeople are a bit greedy, if they get some success they want more of it and try and double up.
“But you also have to appreciate where you, what you are doing and what you have already achieved - you can’t put too much pressure on yourself.
“It would be easy to go out there thinking you should win the next one, but there are so many great players out there it is great being part of it, and special to be in the frame with a chance.
“So it will be a case of going out there and enjoying it, and hopefully in the future polish off something else good.
“European golf looks really strong at the moment, and it is great to be a part of that. We have a lot to look forward to.
“It was very important for me to have some rest and spend some time with the family and the little man, but now I am raring to go again.
“It is a case of focusing to make sure I come back and keep performing well.
“The Ryder Cup would be amazing to play in, I got a taste of it with the EurAsia Cup earlier this year and obviously I have watched many of them.
“Until you have done it, you can’t quite get the concept as an individual golfer of being in a team environment and what it means.
“Every couple of years Europe get to do it against the USA, egging on your team-mates to do well and help people in a team room on the range.
“Normally it is you, yourself, your family, your own people and doing your own job. I am really looking forward to it if it comes along.
“It is probably the closest we get to the football mentality – travelling together, training together, eating together. It’s about the team, if you are stood down by the captain, you take it for the team.
“You do it happily, because you are glad to be there. And the Olympics is something many great golfers have never got to take part in.
“If life has changed it is off the course, on the course nothing will change. You just have to be careful managing your time, enough time for golf and family stuff and everyday life.
“I have got to see family and friends in the past few weeks, do some things I enjoy and have a few beers like a normal 28-year-old lad.
“A bit of Yorkshire grit got the job done in Augusta. If Jordan Spieth makes mistakes and no one is there to capitalise, then nothing comes of it and there is no story.
“But we put some pressure on him. It will always be one of them ‘’Did I win it, or did he lose it’. But we ended up winning by three shots, which is a pretty big margin for someone losing it.”
Willett, who joined the PGA tour after his Masters success, will make his first appearance on home soil since winning the Green Jacket at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 26.