Groundhog Day over as Danny is set for a battle of the Green Jackets
Danny Willett last night admitted he despised golf as he suffered through his personal version of Groundhog Day, but will enjoy battling it out for the DP World Tour Championship title today.
Former Masters champion Willett and current Green Jacket holder Patrick Reed share the lead on 14-under-par of the seasonending event in Dubai, with England’s Jordan Smith one shot behind at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Lee Westwood, seeking back-toback wins following his victory in Sun City last week, is two shots off the lead alongside halfway leader Matt Wallace and South Africa’s Dean Burmester, with Rory McIlroy five adrift after a 71 which included a double-bogey on the 17th.
With Tommy Fleetwood effectively conceding defeat to Ryder Cup partner Francesco Molinari in the battle to win the Race to Dubai, the stage is clear for a final-round shoot-out which could signal an emphatic end to Willett’s on-course struggles.
“It is very pleasing to see results out here and even at home when I practise I can see what is potentially around the corner,” Willett said after a third round of 68. “There were times when I was despising golf because it was like Groundhog Day; turn up, be in pain, miss the cut and repeat.
“When I met up with coach Sean Foley at last year’s US PGA I was pretty low and open to trying anything. From day one onwards we’ve been on a good path and elongating a career that would have been disappointing to stop after five years because of being injured.”
Willett has not tasted victory since winning his first major title at Augusta in April 2016 and was outside the world’s top 450 earlier this season following numerous injuries and a loss of form.
But the 31-year-old from Sheffield has also shown signs of improvement with three top 10 finishes and said recently he no longer felt like golf’s version of “Humpty Dumpty”.
“It was a very, very dark place,” he added. “There was no light coming through the trees. Just a big stump in front of my ball. My main goal this year was not really a golfing goal, but body-wise.
“If I could finish the season healthier and fitter than I started the season, I would be somewhere near and that’s exactly what we’ve done. I’m not going to lie, it would be an amazing thing to win, but regardless of what happens, just looking more in the long-term of my career, really, is pretty good.”
Reed fired a five-under-par 67 and said: “With the limited schedule that I play over here on the European Tour, to have a chance to go out and finish the year off right and win a golf tournament, give myself a little early Christmas gift of a trophy, would be amazing,”
Fleetwood admitted his chances of lifting the trophy had disappeared with a lifeless 74 which left him a shot ahead of Molinari but, more significantly, eight strokes behind Willett and Reed on a densely-packed leaderboard.
He said :“At the end of the day it’ s just golf, but it hurts when you have days like that. I feel the adrenaline might have gone now. I think you know when your time’s up.”