Why the European Tour needs a Danny Willett win at the BMW PGA

VIRGINIA WATER, England -- The BMW PGA Championship, Wentworth and, indeed, the European Tour has been wounded this year.

Many of its biggest names withdrew, citing one reason or another. 2014 champion Rory McIlroy decided he didn't want to play four tournaments in as many weeks; Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson make no secret of the fact they don't like the place; while Wentworth fanatic Justin Rose saw his back give out just days before the tournament started.

While the BMW PGA Championship has had a few surprise winners in its day, it needs a big-name winner this week. And it doesn't get much bigger than the reigning Masters champion.

Danny Willett, playing his first tournament on English soil since his Augusta glory, experienced a round that swayed from the sublime to the ridiculous as he set the clubhouse target of 10-under-par with a remarkable 68 to add to his more consistent opening 66.

Willett eased off the podium, opening with back-to-back pars, before shifting through the gears to record two straight birdies that gave him the outright lead, then two more to become the first player to reach double figures this week. Another brace of gains at eight and nine saw the Yorkshireman reach the turn in a tournament record-equalling 29.

At this point the world No.9 enjoyed a five-shot lead, but after dropping his first shot of the week on the 10th, the 28-year-old carded a hat trick of bogeys from the 15th and had to birdie the last to come home in 39 and complete a 68 that, two-and-a-half hours before, looked like it would be so much better.

BMW PGA Championship leaderboard

"I played great most of the day and then chucked a couple of horrid shots in there and it was nice to make birdie at the last after composing myself quite nicely," Willett, whose group were put on the clock for slow play, told reporters after his round.

"I could have just chucked it and finished really poorly, but to make birdie on the last was good and shows a little bit of mental strength. It was still not quite the back nine I was hoping for but, 10-under-par, I'd have taken it at the beginning of the day."

Asked about the impact of being timed along with playing partners Soomin Lee and Victor Dubuisson, Willett added: "It's tough to obviously double-check yardage and stuff with blustery winds and a few tight flags out there.

"This place plays hard when the wind is swirling around. You'd like as much time as possible to double-check your numbers and make sure you're happy with what you've got.

"A couple of shots out there I hit a little bit too quickly and got the wind a little bit wrong, but you can't blame anything when you hit a couple of bad shots."

Willett's 29 provided the shot in the arm this event needed after so much pre-tournament rejection -- the deafening roar as his birdie putt rolled in at 18 as good an indicator of this as any.

Willett is top of the leaderboard headed into the weekend alongside Y.E. Yang and Scott Hend, who later joined him at 10 under par. But while surprise winners in any tournament are often a welcome release, this week - just this once -- the BMW PGA Championship is desperate for to etch a big name into that trophy.

Less ridiculous and more sublime this weekend please, Danny. Your country needs you.

Source: Why the European Tour needs a Danny Willett win at the BMW PGA