Willett shrugs off Humpty Dumpty tag

Danny Willett believes he is no longer golf ’s version of Humpty Dumpty as he targets a first victory since the 2016 Masters.

Willett carded a second round of 65 in the Turkish Airlines Open to lie two shots off the lead held by defending champion Justin Rose, who will return to world number one with victory at Regnum Carya Golf Resort tomorrow.

Rose’s second consecutive 65 gave him a halfway total of 12 under par and means he is now a combined 50 under for his ten rounds in the £5.4 million event, while he also won its precursor – an eight-man matchplay competition – in 2012.

“I can’t afford to stand still,” said Rose, who admitted he was fortunate to escape with a bogey on the tenth after pulling his tee shot into the water. “We’ve got to keep moving forward.”

Tom Lewis and 2016 champion Thorbjorn Olesen share second place with Willett on ten under par, with Lewis carding a flawless 63 that was just one shot outside Olesen’s course record.

Willett reached a careerhigh of ninth in the world after claiming his first major title at Augusta National, but had slumped outside the top 450 earlier this year after suffering injuries and a loss of form.

A missed cut in the French Open was his ninth in 12 events, but the 31-year-old from Sheffield hit back to finish sixth in the Irish Open, 19th in the Scottish Open and 24th in the Open at Carnoustie.

Willett credits coach Sean Foley – who formerly worked with Tiger Woods – and fitness trainer Kev Duffy for his resurgence, but admits it has been hard work to get to this point after the injuries which left him struggling to get out of bed in the morning.

“The body is in the best place it’s been in probably five or six years now and the golf game is going along with it and following that trend,” the world number 322 said after a round containing seven birdies and one bogey. It was like Humpty Dumpty, every time you finished playing you’ve got to put him back together again, rest up and then try and go again tomorrow.”