Danny back on track

Danny Willett bravely ended a 953-day winless drought to claim the biggest prize on the European Tour with victory in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

The 31-year-old from Sheffield had not tasted victory since winning his first major title at Augusta National and had slumped from a career-high of ninth to outside the world’s top 450 earlier this season after numerous injuries and a loss of form.

Willett credits coach Sean Foley - who formerly coached Tiger Woods - and fitness trainer Kev Duffy for his resurgence.

He started working with Foley at last year’s US PGA Championship when he admitted he was “pretty low and open to trying anything” to save his career.

Having started the final round in a share of the lead with Patrick Reed, Willett surged three shots clear with a long-range eagle on the par-five second and a birdie on the seventh.

That lead was wiped out after bogeys on the 10th and 12th, but Willett responded brilliantly to birdie the 14th, 15th and 17th.

He held his nerve on the last, where his drive somehow finished inches short of the creek which runs the length of the hole, and he got the ball back in the fairway to set up a title winning par.

See our in-depth interview with Danny in the January 2019 issue