Ahead of the penultimate event of the 2016 season - the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, europeantour.com's Michael Gibbons sat down with Masters Champion Danny Willett to talk life and golf.
Imagine if you won the Masters Tournament. Imagine if you then lost a bit of form after becoming one of only 86 people in the universe to win a Green Jacket. Would you care if you ever hit a straight drive again?
For the mere mortals amongst us, the answer to that last question would be a big fat ‘NO’. If you are a professional golfer good enough to win one of the four most coveted prizes in the game, the answer is a little different.
And that’s what separates the elite players in our game to the rest of us.
Danny Willett has had many fans and observers of the sport scratching their heads in disbelief recently. Struggling to replicate the form that saw him create history at Augusta in April, the 29 year old Englishman’s frustrations have been there for all to see at times over the past few months.
The normal folk amongst us can’t help but think ‘The boy has won the Masters, why is he so hard on himself?’ The only person who can answer that is the man himself.
“It’s tough when you’re playing. It’s tough,” said Willett. “I guess I need to try to step back more often and look at what I have achieved, but it's a tricky one. When you're playing, even if you’re playing great, you're always trying to get better. You're always trying to train harder, practice more. I won the Masters this year and that was unbelievable, but a few weeks later I’m out there trying to get better.
Even if you're playing great, you're always trying to get better.
“Obviously that is what makes the difference in terms of being a tour pro, and I’m especially hard on myself. It’s one of those situations where you need to step back and reflect. Nic (Danny’s wife) tries to tell me that on a regular basis. Sometimes I'm willing to listen and sometimes I’m not.
“The last two months have been tough, but the Green Jacket is here this week. I brought it for this trip. I had a giggle to myself the other day when I saw Henrik (Stenson) had a picture on Twitter with the Claret Jug, that he’d brought it with him this week. I thought to myself that when he carries it around he must look at it and go, ‘Look at what I did’.
“By the same token, I looked at the Green Jacket this morning when I hung it up and it’s those little moments when you say to yourself ‘86 guys have won the Masters and you've got one of those jackets hanging up in your wardrobe. That’s not bad that.’
Only 86 guys have won the Masters. That's not bad.
“I’m working hard on trying to think a little better and look at things from a broader aspect, but it’s crazy what comes in to your mind at times. Recently I thought ‘If you missed 20 cuts every year for the rest of your career but were guaranteed one Major in that year, would you class it as a good year?’ There would be varying opinions on that, but I would still say it's a good season.
“Your mind works in crazy ways. You think that you should be able to play well every time just because you've done what you've done, but it's a game and it doesn’t happen like that. There are 156 guys every week working hard and practicing and it's not easy to win every tournament, even when you're playing well. It just doesn’t happen.
“I’ve had a rubbish couple of months, but then it could all have been so different. I played great in the Italian Open a few weeks ago but Francesco (Molinari) beat me by one. If I had won there, all of a sudden the last two months might not have been as bad. It's just how things fall into place. The fine margins, your thought process and your expectations of yourself. But I do try.”
Willett’s refreshing and honest insight into the mind of a top player is fascinating. He might have had a disappointing couple of months, during which he has been his own biggest critic, but he will stand on the first tee on Thursday morning at the Gary Player Country Club knowing he is back at the tournament and the venue that arguably propelled him into the world’s elite.
He first got into the then 30-man Nedbank Golf Challenge field in December 2014. He had enjoyed a fine previous campaign, finishing 23rd in The 2014 Race to Dubai to ensure entry to the tournament.
The Yorkshireman arrived in Sun City to begin his 2015 season with confidence and belief that he could compete with the very best in the game.
“It was kind of a bonus to get in to this tournament,” he continued. “We got here, the game was good, and it was a strong 30-man field. I played aggressive, stayed aggressive all week, stuck to our game plan, did our own things, and trusted what we were doing was right.
“I think then we started to realise what we do is pretty good and good enough to win against some of the best in the world. Even if I hadn't won, it still would have been a good stepping stone but getting over the line, and winning by four, gave me that extra boost.”
The rest is history. Willett finished 2015 second to only one man – Rory McIlroy – in the Race to Dubai. He continued his ascent with victory in the Dubai Desert Classic at the beginning of this year, before that special week in April sealed his status as a Major Champion.
Yes, he has struggled to reach the same heights this year, but who wouldn’t have? Like all great champions, one thing is for certain: Willett will be back to his best and winning golf tournaments in the near future.
That may even be this week. Willett looked at home as soon as he walked in to the Gary Player Country Club on Tuesday morning. Returning to the scene of great feats of the past is often all a player needs to re-ignite the magic spark. If Willett can do that he will have every chance of contending and closing the gap on Race to Dubai leader, and fellow 2016 Major Champion, Stenson.
“It's always good to come to places you play well around,” he continued. “You try to pick and choose your schedule according to golf courses you like and golf courses you've done well at. For this one to fall where it has in The Final Series, I think it could be a nice little boost for me.
For this event to fall where it has in the Final Series could be a boost for me.
“For the first time in the last couple weeks, I think I might actually be looking forward to teeing it up on Thursday. Hopefully we can have another good couple days of practice here, get a good feel for things and get the swing in a place where it should be.
“It has been a fantastic year for both me and Henrik. We’ve both picked up a first Major and had good showings elsewhere around the world, and now it boils down to two events. I’m a little bit behind him so I’m going to try to make up some ground this week. We've both got pretty good track records around this golf course so it could be very interesting.”
