Worrying injury for Willett in 'Race to Dubai'

THE richest prize in European golf may be destined for a German bank account but the race to fill pockets and open doors for next season has created an intriguing sub-plot among Yorkshire's leading quartet of golfers.

So far ahead is Martin Kaymer with six events to go that the new PGA champion may not even have to pick up a club before the season-ending Dubai World Championship to claim the top prize.

He has turned the 'Race to Dubai' into a procession, forcing the clamour below him for vast fortunes and significant ranking points to take centre stage.

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Graeme McDowell is the best-placed challenger to make a run at Kaymer and though the top prize may be beyond the four men from the Broad Acres, an encouraging season has left them handily placed to line their pockets.

As it stands today at the start of the Castello Masters in Spain, Sheffield's Danny Willett is 19th in the race, Malton's Simon Dyson is 34th, Harrogate rookie John Parry is 39th and Hull's Richard Finch is 63rd.

The latter two are in action this week with Finch still outside the magical top 60 and keen to earn his place in Dubai from November 25-28.

Dyson's inactivity this week is by choice, while Willett's is considerably more worrying.

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For the 23-year-old, whose second-place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links earlier this month was his best finish to date, has sustained an evulsion fracture of his rib.

It is an injury brought on by weight training and playing regular golf which has forced muscle to tear from the bone.

Doctors' orders are for a period of rest but with a place in the top 15 beckoning, it is an ill-timed injury for the Rotherham Golf Club member.

Despite still being winless, seven top-10 finishes have helped Willett become a Euro millionaire this season and put him on the brink of taking a piece of the $7.5m end-of-season prize pool as well as entry into the US Open and PGA Championship next season that a top-15 place guarantees.

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"The injury's not great," conceded Willett. "I'm taking a couple of weeks to recover to try and get it fully operational again."

His return could be the Singapore Open, two weeks before Dubai, by which time Parry and Dyson could have muscled into the top 30 which earns exemption into the Open.

After finishing eighth last season, it is the minimum expectation for Dyson, but for Parry it would be just reward for a tremendous debut season.

Just last week, he was named the Tour's golfer of the month for his breakthrough victory at the Vivendi Cup which transformed what was fast becoming a battle to retain his card.

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"At the French Open in July, I was on the range as first reserve," said the 23-year-old, who followed up victory by finishing third at the Dunhill Links.

"The next time I returned to Paris, I won the tournament. It has done wonders for my confidence."

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