Danny Willett is looking to end a "turbulent" year by claiming his first Race to Dubai title this weekend at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Earlier in the season, the Englishman won the Dubai Desert Classic, secured his third top three in four World Golf Championships events at the WGC - Cadillac Championship and then peaked at the right time to win a first Major Championship at the Masters Tournament.
That form catapulted him to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, a position he has held for 29 weeks this season, although he now finds himself playing catch-up behind Henrik Stenson.
The Swede leads by 299,675 points and while Willett admits his form has dipped from the incredible highs of early season, he will still claim the European Tour's biggest prize at Jumeirah Golf Estates with a victory.
"It's been a very turbulent year," said Willett. "We've had the ultimate of highs and a few real lows the last few months and now here we are.
"We've got four rounds of golf left in what's been a pretty long season and slightly different situation to last year, but we still need to win the golf tournament to win the Race to Dubai.
"We're 300,000 points behind Henrik. If we can do what we can control this week and we can win a golf tournament, then nobody can take it away from us.
"It could be an exciting week. A little bit more confidence after the last couple of rounds last week. It was nice to finally get a few nice rounds under par and get some good feelings back there and come to a golf course now that doesn't necessarily suit me 100 per cent as much as it does the other guys.
If we can do what we can control this week and we can win a golf tournament, then nobody can take it away from us - Danny Willett
"But if we can get it in play off the tee then it definitely suits good mid-iron play which is one of our strengths and good putting."
Willett finds himself in a similar position to 2015 when he arrived at the last event of the season knowing he could still be crowned Europe's Number One but Rory McIlroy won the tournament and the Harry Vardon Trophy.
McIlroy is still in the mix this week along with Stenson, Willett and Alex Noren as he goes in the hunt for a fourth Race to Dubai.
Willett keeps ticking off the career landmarks with a Major win and a Ryder Cup appearance this season, but he admits being crowned top dog at the end of the season is still very much in his sights.
"I'd love to finish first on the Race to Dubai at least once in my life," he said. "If I were to finish second for the rest of my life, it's not that you're playing bad golf, you've had a massively consistent year.
"But unfortunately we are coming up against Rory, Stenson, Sergio (Garcia), all the guys, Alex, who are playing great golf, and to be able to finish Number One from how good the fields are that we play against these days, I think it's a very difficult task.
"You look at the last few years who the champions are, and you've got World Number Ones, you've got fantastic golfers. To be able to do that over the course of a year and to finish above them is amazing. So it's very difficult to finish Number One over the course of a year."
