Danny Willett enjoying his golf again as he claims PGA Championship

[Mohamed Nasser]

It felt appropriate for Danny Willett’s latest leap away from the doldrums to take place as the qualifying process started for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. It was in that very environment, three years ago, that things started to go so badly wrong for the Yorkshireman.

Willett, England’s latest winner of the BMW PGA Championship, arrived at Hazeltine in 2016 inside the world’s top 10 having won the Masters five months earlier. Unwanted attentions provided by a vitriolic blog – penned by Willett’s brother – ruined his Ryder Cup debut; whether linked or not, he subsequently suffered a catastrophic loss of form. When heading to Wentworth for this tournament last year, he was ranked 462nd in the world.

Victory in Dubai last November endorsed the sense he was in the midst of a resurgence. Success in the European Tour’s flagship event will propel him back inside the world’s top 50, possibly as high as 31. Already it would be a surprise if the 31-year-old does not form part of Padraig Harrington’s contingent as Europe launch their Ryder Cup defence at Whistling Straits next year. It may be too soon to be speaking of another upward curve in Willett’s fluctuating career or it may already be just that.

“I had an undying want to get back there [to the top],” Willett said. “I was willing to change whatever had to be changed and I think that’s pretty hard to do. It’s hard to jump full throttle into something that you’re not quite sure if it’s going to work out or not. I was able to jump in there and I had the correct people around me.

“All the work that we’ve put in has come forward. To come down the stretch today and enjoy it was beautiful. There was a long time where I didn’t enjoy this at all.”

Willett prevailed relatively comfortably in the end, by three shots from Jon Rahm, with who he started level. A closing round of 67 afforded Willett a 20-under-par aggregate; 68 was his highest score of the week.

There was only brief cause for him to fret. When taking to the 11th on Sunday, two shots to the good over Rahm, the leader found trees and heather with consecutive shots. He appeared to jar his wrist when playing from the latter. That Willett limited the damage to a bogey, thanks to a 50ft putt, felt like a defining moment; Rahm could not reel in the champion at any point over the closing stretch and his hopes ended when he found the water with his second shot on the 18th. “It’s a little painful,” Rahm admitted. “But nothing a good dinner and a bottle of wine can’t fix.” Willett had taken painkillers to cure his own, brief pain.

South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout claimed third at minus 16. The American pair of Billy Horschel and Patrick Reed justified trips across the Atlantic with a share of fourth, one shot further back.

Rory McIlroy added a 67 to rounds of 76, 69 and 65 meaning Thursday stood out as somewhat freakish in the Northern Irishman’s tournament. Next for McIlroy, after a share of ninth place, is the Dunhill Links in Scotland from Thursday, where he will play in the company of his father.

“I think my dad will be happier than I am because he at least has a partner now that’s playing pretty well,” said McIlroy. “We’re looking forward to it. It’s a very relaxed week. I’m going to go up there and have a good time. St Andrews is a great town.

“I think if you take these pro-ams too seriously, you start to get frustrated with how long you’re out there and all that sort of stuff. So we will try to keep it lighthearted and hopefully that’s the key to playing some good golf.”