St. Andrews hero Danny Willett: The man for the big occasion but a conundrum for punters
The Englishman has produced a series of high-profile wins in the last five years but those who like a bet have often been caught by surprise due to his inconsistency.
Willett hit 9th in the world rankings when he won the Masters in 2016 but heading to Scotland last week he was down at 164th.
What an incredible week. Thanks to Jimmy Dunne for laughs from start to finish @dunhilllinks š
ā Danny Willett (@Danny_Willett) October 3, 2021
Massive thanks to my team for your continued support @CallawayGolfEU @DescenteSki @AudemarsPiguet @NetJets
New @odysseygolf in the bag this week worked like a charm šŖ pic.twitter.com/2eVgSm7Egs
2016 Masters
Form coming in: 28-22-3-45-1-54
Previous tournament form: T38 on debut in 2015
With just one previous go around Augusta National, a victory on his second appearance seemed far-fetched and he was available at a three-figure prices in the build-up.
2018 DP World Tour Championship
Form coming in: 50-7-23-MC-MC
Previous tournament form: 50-4-21-26
He'd managed a seventh place in the Turkish Airlines Open two starts earlier but that had been his only top 10 in the previous 12 starts and in 2018 as a whole he'd missed 13 of 25 cuts.
2019 BMW PGA Championship
Form coming in: MC-24-48-6-MC-12
Previous tournament form: MC-58-3-38-63-32
That victory jumped him up from World No. 60 to 31st.
2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Form coming in: MC-71-MC-MC-33-MC
Previous tournament form: Runner-up 2010, 5th 2012, 26th 2019
His only top 10 of the calendar year had come at the low-key Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship back in March.
If picking him out before a big event seems too difficult, at least punters should have learned by now that he's a great man to have onside when having an in-running bet. If he's high on the early leaderboard, get ready to pull the trigger.
As he proved again at the Alfred Dunhill Links, when Willett gets a sniff he remains one of European golf's best closers.
And that ability to focus most when the stakes are highest means the yet-to-be-announced 2023 European Ryder Cup skipper would welcome Willett on the team with open arms.