Willett sets his sights on better fortunes in 2018

A tough 12 months for the Rotherham Golf Club ace has involved parting company with his long-term caddy, his mentor Peter Cowen, a nagging back injury and losing his PGA Tour card after a catalogue of bad results.

But Willett has taken time out to gather his strength while becoming a dad for the second time and now he intends getting his game back to where it should be.

"Golf is a strange sport," he says. "When you’re playing well, it seems very easy but when you’re struggling it feels like all the time on the range makes no difference out on the course. 

"That can be a hard challenge to deal with mentally, especially when you’re travelling week-to-week trying to find that form against some of the best players and toughest courses in the world. That being said I’m very lucky to have friends and family off the course that do what they can to keep my on that path to success and help put things in perspective.

All I can say is I’m working hard. I know I’ve achieved something that 99 percent of players will never get to experience but there is still a lot I want to do. 

"I’ve never won the Race to Dubai having come close twice. That’s something I want to do.

"But ultimately, I want to know that every day I spent working on this game I was working to get better and never gave up. It’s not easy but that’s golf and that’s why I love it. 

"I’ve had a strained relationship with it in recent months and there were times I felt I was falling out of love with the game but at the end of the day I’ll never stop loving this game and I won’t, let a few poor results stop me from working to get better."