Fantasy Golf: Willett lays down tough challenge in online game

The 22-year-old European Tour professional, who in 2007 won the Yorkshire Amateur title on the way to becoming the world's leading amateur, has named his team for the second year of the Yorkshire Post's fantastic free-to-enter online game.

And as a meticulous player with his own development at the forefront of his mind, he will be eager to challenge all of you who enter the game and attempt to win the prizes on offer from our partners at the Nike Golf Academy at Oulton Hall.

The tournament runs from the WGC CA Championship in Florida on March 11 to the Dubai World Championship at the end of November with Fantasy Golf managers picking a team of eight players to score them points from tournaments on the European and US PGA Tours, and win them prizes.

The prizes on offer from Oulton Hall are for weekly winners a one-hour golf lesson with a PGA professional plus a Nike goodie bag (balls, hat and towel).

For the manager who tops the monthy leaderboard its four, one-hour lessons with a PGA professional and a Nike golf bag.

And the big prize for the manager who comes out on top at the end of the year is a full set of Nike irons and 10, one-hour lessons with a PGA professional at Oulton Hall.

Plus, for those who register their team and enter the competition by 23:59 on March 10 on the eve of the first counting tournament then you will receive a 50 per cent discount on an individual lesson at Oulton Hall, a free basket of balls and a free Custom Fit session worth 50.

With so many prizes on offer, Willett could not resist joining the online fun.

The Rotherham Golf Club member has chosen a team full of European flair and American consistency (see panel).

And here is his reasoning: "I've gone for Rory McIlroy in category one. Rory's a good friend of mine, an old Walker Cup mate and he's always there or thereabouts in a tournament. He'll be playing regularly in the United States as well this year.

"Category two is a tricky section because it all depends on when Tiger will come back. So for now I'd go with Jim Furyk. He's dependable and is always going to be involved in the big tournaments.

"The same applies with Steve Stricker in category three. I'd have probably gone with Kenny Perry here but I think Stricker just edges it. He's in great form at the minute.

"There's no other name but Ian Poulter for me in category four. He's going to have a cracker this year and will be brimming with confidence, especially after winning in Arizona.

"Category five is another tough category, and it was between Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim here, but I think I'll go with Kim, because out of them all he is in the better form at present. A few years ago you would have gone with Vijay Singh because of all his hard work and how often he is in contention, but he's well down in the rankings now. Admittedly Villegas had that great result in the matchplay, but when you analysed his results he wasn't scoring that well.

"Initially I was going to go with Charl Schwartzel in category six, due to his current form, but that's probably down to the fact that he plays so well in South Africa. With no more tournaments in South Africa I think you have to look at Soren Hansen; he's quality all the way. He works hard and keeps battling."

Jumping ahead to category eight, Willett has opted for fellow young gun Richie Ramsay.

And with just one name to fill his team-sheet, in category seven, Willett has chosen himself, and here's why you should follow suit and place your trust in the Yorkshireman.

"If things aren't going right I'm always working hard to get better," said Willett, who finished fourth at the recent Joburg Open and is up to 120th in the world rankings in only his second season as a professional.

"I'm patient and determined to do well."

He's also eager to succeed in the Yorkshire Post's free-to-enter Fantasy Golf game. The question is, do you think you can beat him? Log on to www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/golf and sign up today.

DANNY WILLETT PICKS HIS TEAM...WHO'S IN YOURS?

Yorkshire golfer Danny Willett has picked the following players for this year's Fantasy Golf on-line competition. To see a full list of players and to enter yourself, follow the instructions below.

Good luck

Category 1: Rory McIlroy

Category 2: Jim Furyk

Category 3: Steve Stricker

Category 4: Ian Poulter

Category 5: Anthony Kim

Category 6: Soren Hansen

Category 7: Danny Willett

Category 8: Richie Ramsay

Here's how to play

Log onto www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/golf and click on the sport tab. Then scroll down and click onto the golf page. From there, click on the Fantasy Golf button and you are in the game. Alternatively log on to http://fantasygolf.yorkshirepost.co.uk/ for instant access.

Select a captain whose points tally from each tournament will be doubled.

Once your team is complete, you must submit it by pressing the submit button to start scoring points. Alternatively you can select 'lucky dip' and then submit your team.

You can invite friends to join the game and set up leagues within golf clubs.

Make sure you have your team in place by 23.59 on Wednesday, March 10, to start scoring points.

Points will be awarded based on the performance of your team's players during the events which will be listed on the home page of fantasygolf.yorkshirepost.co.uk

The season runs from the WGC-CA Championship on March 11 until the Dubai World Championship in November encompassing all four majors and the Ryder Cup.

A maximum of two transfers can be made each week, with an extra transfer allowed in the weeks of Bonus Event tournaments which offer more points and are highlighted on the events page. As a one off, all eight players can be changed for the Ryder Cup.

New to the game this year is a log on code that will be printed in the sports pages of the Yorkshire Post every Tuesday morning. This code is required to allow each player access to their team, to make changes and assess performances.