Sheffield duo Willett and Fitzpatrick plan action replay in mountains
US MASTERS champion Danny Willett hopes the prospect of successfully defending a title for the first time in his career can inspire a return to the top of his game in the Omega European Masters.
Willett has endured a mixed campaign since claiming his first major title in April, missing the cut in three of his nine events and recording a sole top-20 finish in the BMW PGA Championship after sharing the halfway lead.
The 28-year-old also snapped the putter he used at Augusta National in frustration during the US Open and could only finish 53rd in the Open, 79th in the US PGA and 37th in the Olympics.
However, the world No 11 is a big fan of this week’s venue of Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss mountains, where he carded a brilliant closing 65 to finish a shot ahead of compatriot and fellow Sheffield player Matt Fitzpatrick last year.
“I love this week,” said Willett. “I think I’ve played now for six straight years and it’s always great to come back. There’s always a little buzz when you drive up the mountain and you see the signs as you approach.
“It’s been a crazy 12 months and this win last year really kickstarted my little effort back in Europe. I finished sixth at The Open and then came here and won and didn’t really look back after that.
“Unfortunately, I finished second in The Race to Dubai, but then I came out this year, won in Dubai and then the Masters.
“It’s been a pretty epic 12 months and the golf hasn’t been fantastic over the last two or three months, but I’m just trying to get everything back on track now.
“I’m working really hard and, hopefully, coming back to a place I like and feel comfortable on and, hopefully, I can have a good week here.”
Willett and Fitzpatrick will play the first two rounds together in Switzerland, along with a third member of this year’s Ryder Cup team, Andy Sullivan.
The trio all qualified automatically for the European team which will attempt to secure an unprecedented fourth straight victory at Hazeltine, a team completed on Monday by captain Darren Clarke’s wildcard selections Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters.
“I can’t wait for the Ryder Cup,” said Fitzpatrick.
“It’s going to be an amazing experience. If someone told me two years ago I would be playing it I wouldn’t have believed them – I didn’t even have status then.
“I wasn’t nervous when playing the Walker Cup (in 2013). The big thing for me that week was that I’d just come off the US Amateur win, I was the number one amateur in the world as well so I felt like I was very high in confidence. I didn’t really have much fear.
“It’s a bit different at the Ryder Cup, I’m not No 1 in the world so I’m not expected to do anything special. It was a big thing that I played my way into the team and didn’t need a pick, that was nice. To get it finalised with one event left was a great feeling.”
Yorkshire have both the English match play and stroke play champions in their line-up for Saturday’s crucial Northern Counties League match with Lancashire at Lindrick.
Meltham’s Jamie Bower, winner of the Brabazon Trophy, and Masham’s Dan Brown, the English men’s amateur title holder, will look to help secure a win that will keep the title in White Rose hands.
Yorkshire are one point behind going into the match at Lindrick and will leapfrog their Roses rivals with a victory by any margin.
Howley Hall’s Ben Hutchinson, who succeeded Bower as county champion, is also in the line-up, as are England B international Will Whiteoak (Shipley), Lindrick Scratch Open winner Ben Brewster and his Wheatley club-mate Kealan Lowe, and Welsh Open Youths champion Bailey Gill, who will be playing on his home course.
Hallamshire’s Alex Fitzpatrick is a player in form having been the leading points scorer for Great Britain & Ireland in the Jacques Leglise Trophy match against Europe at Prince’s.