Major champion facing six months out in big injury blow  

Danny Willett faces six months on the sidelines after aggravating his shoulder injury at the BMW PGA Championship.

The Press Association is reporting that the 2016 Masters champion is set to undergo surgery on his shoulder after the issue derailed his challenge at Wentworth last week.

Willett had made a flying start to the DP World Tour’s flagship event, reaching six-under-par through 14 holes on day one, but the 2019 winner struggled with his swing after feeling his shoulder tear when striking his tee shot on the 15th.

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The eight-time DP World Tour winner went on to make double bogey on that hole and ultimately finished the event in a tie for 64th after playing through the pain barrier with rounds of 71, 71, 70 and 76.

“I hit balls half an hour Tuesday, half an hour yesterday and then the warmup today and actually in fairness I felt pretty strong,” Willett had said on Thursday. “But when it goes, it goes.”

“It just doesn’t allow you to do everything that you want to do, “he added. “Can’t practice as much as you want to practice and train like you want to train, but we’ve managed it pretty good.”

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The 35-year-old has been carefully managing his shoulder issue for years but was forced to withdraw from the Irish Open after an opening round 76, and has now conceded that surgery is the best course of action.

After a visit to a surgeon in Manchester, Willett’s surgery is now scheduled for next week and he hopes to be back to full fitness for the first major of 2024 at Augusta National in April.

The Yorkshireman has played in 24 events this season, with his only top-ten coming at the Fortinet Championship last September where he agonisingly lost out in a playoff to American Ryder Cup star Max Homa.

He missed the cut at this year’s Masters and finished T68 in The Open at Royal Liverpool.