Willett’s rise
Danny Willett is back in a good place and it’s showing at Royal Portrush, where he’s headed for his best finish at a major since winning the Masters in 2016.
Willett shot 6-under 65 that matched the second-best round of the week behind Shane Lowry’s 63.
“It’s one of those where the juices are flowing,” said Willett, who hasn’t had the sensation much in the past three years.
The Englishman was a surprise champion at Augusta National after benefiting from a Sunday collapse by Jordan Spieth. A former top-ranked amateur, Willett was No. 9 in the world after his Masters win and his career was trending only one direction.
Then came the dark times. He tried to implement some changes to his swing, while he also battled a back injury that led to him doubting if he could continue his career. He was ranked No. 462 midway through last year.
A big moment came in the final event on the European Tour last year when he won the World Tour Championship in Dubai, his first victory since Augusta. His tie for 12th at the U.S. Open last month was his first top 20 in a major since that 2016 Masters.
“We’re in a really good place,” said Willett, now ranked No. 75. “I’ve said it for the best part of 12 months now. It might be this week, next week, six months down, we don’t know. But there’s enough good in there to do it again, which is a nice feeling. It gives you that little bit of sunlight at the end of it.”
He puts much of his improvement down to breathing better during his rounds, which relieves some of his stress.