From moments of intense joy to times of hopelessness, the past decade has seen Danny Willett experience a range of emotions.
It started with victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where the Englishman returns this week after a four-year absence for an anniversary appearance.
His triumph almost ten years ago to the day was the first of two titles in a career-best year that saw him become a Major Champion at the Masters Tournament just two months later and make his Ryder Cup debut for Europe.
The quickfire double, capped by becoming the second Englishman after Sir Nick Faldo to win the Green Jacket, lifted Willett inside the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time as he went on to finish second in the Race to Dubai for the second year running in 2016.
While he has won a further three titles on the DP World Tour, reaffirming his ability to compete with the very best, his career has been halted by various injury woes resulting in swing changes and changes to his coaches.
“It's been a roller coaster,” Willett told the DP World Tour from Emirates Golf Club.
“There's been a lot going on with the body over the last decade.
“I've obviously still won three times in that period, which is not enough, when the body has felt good.
“Right now, it is getting back to where it feels like I can do it again.
“I am hoping, cross fingers, touch wood, that things are now coming together. I am only 38, there’s a lot of time left if I can now stay in good shape and keep the injuries at bay.”
Such is the depth of emerging talent around the world, there is perhaps a perception that golf is becoming a young person’s sport, but Willett is clearly optimistic about what he can still achieve in the game.
I am only 38, there’s a lot of time left if I can now stay in good shape and keep the injuries at bay
With wins at the DP World Tour Championship in 2018, BMW PGA Championship in 2019 and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2021, alongside his Dubai Desert Classic and Masters titles of 2016, Willett is a man for the big stage.
Having fallen as low as 462nd in May 2018, after a prolonged period of back and shoulder issues, his success at the season finale against a stellar field that year was one he lauded as his proudest to date.
His game again came together at Wentworth as he claimed a second Rolex Series title, rising to 31st in the world and appearing on track to return to the heights he reached in 2016.
But, with the exception of his most recent win – at St Andrews – on his 34th birthday, Willett hasn’t had much to smile about on the course in recent times.
And despite that, he is an optimistic person and the memories of his dramatic win over the Majlis Course a decade ago – with a birdie on the final green to finish one shot clear of 2012 winner Rafa Cabrera Bello and compatriot Andy Sullivan – hold pride of place in his heart.
"[I've] won a few times and it can seem anticlimactic where you kind of roll it down and tap it in and you're not sure if you're winning or whatever it is..." he recalls.
"But here, it's tight and actually to hole a 15 to 18 footer to win [was nice]. I actually think it was the first time I have done it in that way.
"Rafa [Cabrera Bello] had knocked it on in two and was putting the pressure on.
"It was obviously a brilliant start to what ended up being a fantastic year."
He added: "Great memories around this place. It looks like it's got bigger, better than it was the last time I played it.
"So, excited to get back at it."
Either side of his injury-enforced absence in 2024, Willett has opted to start his year stateside since his missed cut in 2022.
Without full playing rights on the PGA TOUR this year, the expectation is that he will play more on the DP World Tour and this is already his third start of the 2026 Race to Dubai campaign after last week’s Dubai Invitational followed on from the Crown Australian Open in December.
While silverware will always remain the end goal, the immediate focus is just to play competitively on a regular basis after a string of injury-hit campaigns.
“The last two years have been really scatty with when and where I've played,” he acknowledged.
“So, just really try and get some consistency back in the schedule. Try and knock off game rust.
“It's all well and good to do it on a range. But to take it on a golf course with a card in your hand when people are watching just throws a few different things in there.
“So, I'm actually looking forward to what this year brings.”
Since his return from shoulder surgery that saw him spend seven months on the sidelines from September 2023 to April 2024, the former world’s top-ranked amateur has managed just one top ten.
In that time, Willett has sounded out the opinion of several coaches but having reunited with swing coach Mike Walker, who worked with Willett from 2013 to 2017, there is a belief that he can instil a trust in his game and aid his chances of performing consistently.
“Me and Mike had a lot of success before and we’re just trying to pick up on the good things that we did 2014 through to 2017,” he said.
“We’re really trying to get a good understanding, get some consistency back. The last few years have been a roller coaster.
“When I’ve played well, I’ve won. But then there is a hell of a lot of missed cuts there.
“Whereas when I was at my best, from 2013 to 2017, I didn’t miss many cuts. I was pretty consistent.
“When we got a chance at winning, we did as well so I get the best of both.
“So, just trying to get the consistency back in there so that I'm not trying to search for different things every day and just try and keep it hopefully as stress free as possible in a game that is pretty stressful.”
Willett is the first to acknowledge golf gives you nothing, but if ever hard work and perseverance are traits that reap rewards, it would be fitting if a good performance was to come here in Dubai.
Asked if he has a sense that things will click for him this year, he said: “I don't know. Golf's a strange one. I definitely feel like it's closer.
"Golf's a fickle game. It could feel brilliant Monday through Wednesday, and then you pitch up Thursday and your twin brother has come and played golf for you.
“And vice-versa, I've hit it terrible on the range and then gone on to play well.
“All I know is that inwardly I'm doing the right things. We're on the right path.”
