The genial Danny Willett isn’t exactly the complaining type, but the closest rival to Rory McIlroy felt the world No3 has been handed a huge advantage as the duo take their battle for the European No1 crown down the final stretch at the DP World Tour Championship.
Two things have worked in McIlroy’s favour.
First, he was granted a special permission by the European Tour to compete in the $8 million season-ending championship despite him not playing his minimum number of events this season. And secondly, unlike Willett, McIlroy opted not to play last week in the BMW Masters in Shanghai, which means he is coming in fresh compared to the Englishman, for whom this will be the fourth successive week of playing.
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McIlroy has played just 11 tournaments this year, and in normal circumstances, would not have been allowed to tee up at the DP World Tour Championship for not playing the minimum 12 required before the start of this week. But the Northern Irishman has a good reason for that – he missed at least three counting events because of the ankle injury he sustained before the Scottish Open.
When asked if he’d be rankled that McIlroy has the possibility of walking away with the coveted European No1 crown despite playing 12 events, Willett said: “I think I’ve played 22 or so. Rory has played 12. No, if Rory wins more money than anyone else playing less events, then that’s just good golf.
“There’s still rules there to abide by; otherwise they wouldn’t make rules. If rules were allowed to be broken all the time, then there’s no point in setting them in the first place.
"But in this case, it’s a very difficult one to kind of get correct, and it was the first decision Keith had to make in becoming the Commissioner of the Tour. It’s a difficult one to have to make. I think he made the correct decision.”
But Willett felt by playing only three of the four Final Series events – something that is allowed by the rules – McIlroy has an advantage.
“I appreciate that him playing makes a massive difference for the Tour and you have to kind of let him off with the events, but certainly he has more of an advantage over the guys who have played all three and this will be the fourth,” Willett added.
“There’s a lot of travelling, a lot of golf, time changes, sleeping patterns, everything like that can really take its toll. Especially at the end of a season. At the beginning of the season, maybe not, but this is the 52nd week of the season, and I think having had a week off might have benefitted him.
“I can't really say a great deal more. It is what it is. It doesn't really change how we are going to approach this week. You can't really think about it. So we're just going to go out there and try and win.”
Willett will start his opening round on Wednesday in the company of McIlroy at 12:40.
