Course
Strategy
Helping Danny win the 2016 Masters at Augusta
Challenge
To help Danny Willett and his caddie get ready for The Masters. Despite being ranked 20th in the world, few gave Willett a chance. There was very little preparation time, as his wife had just given birth to their first son. Danny had yet to win a major and had finished 38th the previous year, his first Masters appearance. Before the first stroke had been made, bookmakers were offering odds as long as 125/1 on Danny Willett slipping on the famous green jacket.
Solution
Our strategy and data science teams worked quickly to create a bespoke course strategy that took into account the unique characteristics of the course and Danny’s playing strengths. This strategy enabled Danny and his then caddie, Jonathan Smart, to get ahead of the field by plotting an optimised route around Augusta.
He used our intelligence tool, “Waggle”, to help improve his decision-making on the course – e.g. whether to lay up or go for the green on Par 5’s.
Impact
As the leader Jordan Spieth faltered on the back 9 of the final round, Willett remained poised under the mounting pressure. He shot an incredibly-calm, bogey-free, final round of 67 and became only the second Englishman to win the Masters – the first for 20 years.
“Thanks to 15th Club helping me and Smartie prep better for course strategy this week!!!”
