WILLETT BEATS PAIN GAME

DANNY WILLETT hopes he has taken his first pain-free steps to a better year.

Willett contracted Covid-19 before undergoing two medical procedures in one operation last month to remove a hernia and deal with a crippling bout of appendicitis.

He missed last

by JAMES NURSEY month’s US Open but the Yorkshireman (below) no longer has to take painkillers for the first time since his appendix flared up.

Willett’s improved fitness showed at the Open as he started at Royal St George’s with a promising three-under 67, including a birdie at the last.

He said: “I sneezed on Saturday for the first time pain-free and I was delighted.”