SM
Man City vs. Brighton: 12 hrs 41 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Danny Willett desperate to end 2020 on a high in Dubai

:Headline: Danny Willett desperate to end 2020 on a high in Dubai: ID:424645: from db_amp
Danny Willett is gearing up for the Golf in Dubai Championship.

Former Masters champion Danny Willett is targeting more Dubai delight before drawing a line under 2020.

Two of Willett's European Tour titles have come in Dubai, most recently the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in 2018 which ended 953 days without a win amid a slump from a career-high of ninth in the world to outside the world's top 450.

Willett's renaissance continued with victory in the BMW PGA Championship last year but, after just one top-10 finish in a 2020 campaign badly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the 33-year-old is hoping to start next season in more beneficial circumstances.

England's Danny Willett won the BMW PGA Championship in 2019 (Bradley Collyer/PA)

"The work I've put in hasn't really been reflected in the results we've had, which is a real shame," Willett said ahead of the Golf in Dubai Championship.

"Whether that's been a bit of adapting to being in a bubble and not being as social with the family not being able to travel and stuff like that...for some guys it doesn't have a big impact, (but) me and Nic (his wife) like to travel together with the boys and it's been really different this year.

"I don't know if I've not coped with that as well, but certainly the practice and the work I've been putting in hasn't reflected in the scores. The feelings within the body and where the golf game is, is pretty nice.

"If I were to have a run of good events it wouldn't come out of the blue for me because I know the work I've been putting in has been really good. Unfortunately, those things haven't come to fruition yet this year.

"Two more weeks, fingers crossed it would be nice to finish the year strong. I guess we put a bit of a line under 2020 like I'm sure most guys will and try to have a strong off season and come back really strong in 2021.

"I played in clumps a little more than I would have in previous years and we haven't done that successfully.

"So I might come back to what I like to do and have a couple of weeks on, a couple of weeks off and pick and choose where I like to play and get back to preparing really well for each and every week, instead of just trying to play my way into form."

Along with the majors and World Golf Championship events, Willett has played a mixture of regular European Tour and PGA Tour events in 2020 and welcomed the "strategic alliance" agreed last week which will see them work together on scheduling and playing opportunities for members.

The PGA Tour will also acquire a minority investment stake in European Tour Productions, which produces and distributes the Tour's content, and its commissioner Jay Monahan gets a seat on the European Tour board.

"I think it can only be a positive thing," Willett added. "You've got the two biggest Tours in the world coming together to hopefully create more of a global game, for the European players probably more so than the Americans.

"I'm hoping it opens up the door and gives the guys a few more opportunities to play a bit more of a worldwide schedule and for maybe a few more of the European Tour guys who don't play much inĀ America, to give them chances to play against the best fields in the world on a more regular basis.

"Dip your feet in the water over there and see how some guys can take it."

Patrick Reed is on course to be the first American winner of the Race to Dubai (Adam Davy/PA)

Willett also welcomed the possibility of current leader Patrick Reed becoming the first American winner of the Race to Dubai, even if he will only have played in three regular European Tour events in doing so.

"I think he's been a very solid promoter of our tour for three or four years now," Willett added. "He loves playing the European Tour, he loves the challenge of the different golf courses and the different conditions.

"If more Americans had been members of the Tour, with how they finish in majors and World Golf Championships, we may have seen other Americans win the Race to Dubai over the last few years but the guys haven't wanted to commit to the minimum events.

"For me, good on Patrick for committing to them and he's not only coming and playing the big events, he played the Porsche European Open in Germany and others just to get his numbers up. So, for me, if he were to do so it would be a real feather in his cap."

amp_article__424645 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-12-01 16:43:41:
html db last update - 2020-12-01 16:43:41 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Danny Willett

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal281510352242855
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest28156745331251
4Chelsea28147753361749
5Manchester CityMan City28145953381547
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28121064640646
8Aston Villa2912984145-445
9Bournemouth28128847341344
10Fulham2811984138342
11Crystal Palace2810993633339
12Brentford28115124844438
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs281041455411434
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd2897123440-634
15Everton2871293135-433
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2896133248-1633
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2865173857-1923
18Ipswich TownIpswich2838172658-3217
19Leicester CityLeicester2845192562-3717
20Southampton2823232068-489
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .