Willett laments loss of form in Turkey
Englishman withdraws from Nedbank Challenge in South Africa after poor show sees slip to No. 11
Masters Champion Danny Willett has dropped outside the top-10 on the World Rankings and admits an end-of-season slump in his game could not have come at a worst time.
The 29-year old Willett has enjoyed just two top-10s since being fitted last April with the famed Augusta National members green jacket.
Willett’s frustration boiled over last Sunday after finishing in a distant share of 68th place in the Turkish Airlines Open at Belek in Turkey.
Willett had journeyed to Turkey lying second on the Race to Dubai and needing to finish fifth or higher to move back to No. 1 in the rankings, and a place he has enjoyed since his Major Championship triumph.
And Willett was so annoyed in posting a last round 75 in Turkey his immediate reaction was to withdraw from this week’s Nedbank Challenge at Sun City in South Africa and the second of the three European Tour Final Series events. “It couldn’t happen at a worst time,” he said in reference to his poor run of form.
“Things are not just going our way, nothing feels great.”
Since finishing second in September’s Italian Open Willett missed the cut in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, that included a third round 76, while he lost the No. 1 ranking to Henrik Stenson in slumping to 75th place in the following weeks WGC — HSBC Champions event. His poor showing in Turkey has now seen Willett drop a further place on the World Rankings to be now ranked No. 11.
This is the first time he’s been outside the top-10 since moving from 12th to ninth in winning the Masters.
Also in the South African field is new Turkish Airlines Open winner Thorbjorn Olesen who jumped from 32nd to ninth on the Race to Dubai following his three-shot triumph in Belek.
Olesen’s victory has also seen leapfrog 23 places to be the new World No. 69.
Triple Major winning Padraig Harrington believes after Olesen collected a fourth European Tour victory, the next step for the 26-year old could be representing Europe in a Ryder Cup.