Danny Willett

Willett’s best finish in 2022 was a T7 at the 3M Open. The former Masters champ played well again at Augusta as well, carding a four-day total of one-over par, which was good enough for a tie for 12th place. For the year, he made 14 of 21 cuts and was the honorary host of the Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour. It is uncertain how the 35-year-old Englishman will split his time between the U.S. and Europe next year, but expect him to always give his best when he’s in the field.

Willett remains exempt for one more season thanks to his improbable 2016 Masters win. He has little value. And we say little instead of none because ... he qualifies for the Masters. Willett had two top-25s in full-field events last season (excluding the Zurich team event), one of which was the Masters. The Englishman will likely also play in the Open Championship.

Willett's up-and-down career continued in the 2019-20 season as he failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs as he recorded just one top-15 finish and missed the cut in six-of-nine full field events. He did show signs of life on the European Tour, however, winning the BMW PGA Championship and finishing fifth in the DP World Tour Championship late last year. Despite improving his putting after a poor 2018-19 campaign, Willett dropped from 49th in SG: Tee-to-green to 174th.

Willett's golf life after his surprise Masters victory three years ago was an unmitigated disaster and the golfing world was left to wonder if he'd ever find his game again. After two years of miserable play, Willett actually found his way back last season. He's still got a lot of work to do to get back to the heights of a major champion, but there are plenty of signs that point to a continued resurgence. Willett is worth a look in salary cap leagues, but his upside still seems a bit limited at this point.

Willett did not play frequently enough on Tour last year to retain his card, so he will only be eligible for certain tournaments despite winning the Masters in 2016. That is the last tournament the Englishman has won, as he has been beset by back woes and what appears to be a Masters hangover. Willett was 224th in points across 11 events, making the cut only five times with two WDs and zero top-25s. He'll still be in all the majors, the only guy on this list who can say that. But by having fallen from 11th in the OWGR at the beginning of 2017 to outside the top-60 now, he'll have to play his way into WGCs. Keep an eye out. There are still a bunch of European Tour events left this season. One good finish at some fall season event worldwide could vault him into the top-50 OWGR. For instance, last season, Willett had two top-6s in Asia late in 2016 before his game completely fell apart.

Willett's season was basically one outstanding performance at the Masters and a whole lot of nothing after that. It's certainly understandable if Willett lost focus after his life-changing win at Augusta, but the true test will come this season as expectations are raised and excuses are thrown-out the door. Willett's win at Augusta was a surprise, but it's not like he was a complete unknown at the time. He was a good player before that win and he's still a quality golfer, but it's not unprecedented for a golfer to win a major and never look the same after that. Will that be the fate of Willett? With so many questions entering this season, he's not worth the risk in salary cap formats. In drafts he should go in the fifth or sixth round.