Joburg target for in-form Willett

Willett, who along with his wife and caddie did a sky dive in Dubai ahead of last week’s tournament to raise money for charity, has begun the season well as he concentrates on improving his game this year rather than chasing specific prizes.

His worst finish in the four tournaments so far is 43rd, while the other three have seen him finish in the top 20.

The rush of last week’s sky dive stayed with him as he blazed into the clubhouse lead in round two of the Dubai Desert Classic before finishing 13th.

And he arrived at the Royal Kensington and Johannesburg Golf Club for the Joburg Open buoyed by the form he has shown both past and present.

The 26-year-old from Sheffield has twice finished fourth at this tournament and also posted a top-15 two years ago.

Currently 103rd in the world, he is concentrating this year on improving his game in the hope that other targets like climbing the rankings and winning tournaments will come as a result of greater consistency.

“I’m playing some good golf, it’s just a question of hitting it that little bit closer and holing a couple of extra putts,” said the former Yorkshire Amateur champion.

He is in illustrious company in the first two rounds, playing alongside Charl Schwartzel and defending champion Richard Sterne. Hull’s Richard Finch is in the field on a sponsor’s invite alongside Harrogate’s John Parry, who has not made a cut in his last four tournaments, and Malton’s Simon Dyson.

The Volvo World Match Play Championship will return to England in the autumn for the first time since 2007. The £1.8m Championship, to be held at the London Golf Club, reverts to a 16-man field, split into four groups of four, and will be held over five days between October 15 and 19 with a first prize of £540,000.