Danny Willett's former mentor and coach has said he is "pleased as punch" after the golfer became the first Briton to win the Masters in 20 years.

Graham Walker, 57, who began coaching Willett when he was 15 years old and watched him become the number one amateur in the world and win his first victory on tour, said he showed a "thirst for knowledge" and "desire to work" from a young age.

He said Willett, who he trained for about 10 years, had a "good family background" and did not "suffer from pushy parents" but was driven to succeed.

Walker, who runs Walker's Golf Academy at The Oaks Golf Club, York, described the golfer as a "very steely" and "honest character".

"We had lots of honest, frank conversations - he always wanted to know your comments, always wanted to know what you thought about his golf game," he said.

"He wasn't afraid to hear the truth about his golf game and then he'd get on and work hard at it.

"The memory that stands out is his desire to work. His thirst for knowledge and his desire to work. That was a minutely, hourly, daily sort of thing with him."

Within five years of joining Walker, Willett became the number one amateur in the world, and the pair then "set the ground rules" as he aimed to become the number one professional in the world.

"That was always the dream and the goal, and that's what we set about trying to achieve," Walker said.

"He was always going to work to become the best player in the world. Wherever that takes him - whether that takes him to number one, number two, that's what he'll work towards. That's his thirst. That's his desire."

Walker, who still coaches at the golfing academy, attributed Willett's success to his supportive family and good upbringing.

"He had a real background - he didn't suffer from pushy parents. They were real parents who just looked after their kid," he said.

"He was the one who needed to play well and win."

He added: "From my point of view, I just tried to mentor him as well to be a good person as well as a good golfer. If you can be as good a person as you are a golfer you can be something really special.

"He got that. He got that you've got to try and do both. And he did."