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TSN Senior Reporter

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Last year, when Danny Willett slipped on the Green Jacket, a lot of casual golf fans in North America were still trying to figure out just who this guy was.

They didn’t know he was ranked 12th in the world, didn’t notice that he had won in Dubai and finished third at the World Golf Championship event at Doral or even paid attention to the fact that, despite Jordan Spieth’s collapse, he shot a final-round 67 to win.

North American golf fans sometimes have the blinkers on when it comes to players who don’t play full time on the PGA Tour. It’s the myopic view carried and in some ways it’s understandable considering the PGA Tour is the world’s deepest in terms of talent.

Willett might not be among the favourites to earn a second Green Jacket, coming in off a year so far that could only be called mediocre at best. But there may be another player who could follow in his footsteps, one who has enjoyed a strong year but isn’t on the radar of most North American fans just yet.

Tommy Fleetwood is one of 11 British golfers in the field, currently ranked first in the Race to Dubai, the Euro circuit’s points list. Earlier this year, the 26-year-old won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, holding off Dustin Johnson down the stretch.

A few weeks later, at the World Golf Championship Mexico Championship, the two finished first and second again, this time with Fleetwood taking the silver medal.

If he’s known by fans on this side of the Atlantic, it’s for a celebration attempt with his caddie after sinking a 40-foot putt on the final hole in Mexico. In what might be the worst high-five in sports history, Fleetwood ended up punching himself in the face.

This is Fleetwood’s first trip to Augusta and it completes a lifelong goal that was nearly fulfilled a number of times in the past.

In 2008, he lost the final of the British Amateur; the winner gets an invite to the Masters. So, to, do those who are in the top 50 in the world rankings at the end of the calendar year. In 2014, Fleetwood ended up 51st.

He was so disappointed with the finish, he decided to come to Augusta anyway, paying his own way to walk around as a spectator. He was so sure of eventually playing in the event, he wanted to try and soak in as much of the atmosphere as possible so it wasn’t a complete shock when he did eventually get a start.

“It’s a landmark in your career getting to Augusta because it’s the hardest tournament to get into,” said Fleetwood, currently ranked 32nd in the world. “I’m not counting on this being my one and only chance, but I’m excited to be here. It’s really cool.”

As a rule, first-timers don’t win at Augusta National. The last player to earn a Green Jacket in his maiden run was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. To perhaps get a little of Zoeller’s karma, Fleetwood has signed up to play alongside him in the Par 3 contest on Wednesday.

That’s just one part of his pre-tournament cram session in which he’s trying to learn the nuances of Augusta National ahead of Thursday’s first round. He said that this historic layout is not as easy as most weeks.

"We play a lot of courses where it's kind of simple to wander around and go, 'Well, you can't hit it there or over there is a good miss and that will be fine'," he stated.
"Sometimes it only takes one practice round but this place is very, very different.”

Much like Willett a year ago, a Fleetwood victory would open a lot of eyes in the U.S. and Canada. It would also open plenty of opportunities, too. Some suggest that may have been Willett’s downfall this year, cashing in at every opportunity that took away from his routine. Fleetwood isn’t worried about that at the moment but he remains optimistic.

"I'm not going to sit here and say I expect to win,” he stated. “But you never know.”

Certainly if he does, he’ll be known for more than just punching himself.