Danny Willett has been struggling with his game since a disappointing Ryder Cup, but he’s back in Sun City this week, where a 2014 victory sparked an incredible surge in his career.

‘For this event to fall where it does in the Final Series can be an absolute boost for me,’ he said. ‘I’ve been struggling recently to get things going, so it’s nice to come back to this event and a course I know pretty well and have done well on.’

The Englishman shot 66 in the final round at Gary Player Country Club two years ago to beat countrymen Luke Donald and Ross Fisher in convincing fashion. Four months later Willett became a major champion at Augusta National Golf Club, donning the green jacket that goes with a Masters title.

He’s struggled to live up to the tag of major champion in the last few months, despite a blip of hope in his second-place finish at the Italian Open. But that’s golf and the 29-year-old is happy to be back at the scene of his first big win.

‘You walk up the ninth green and see your plaque on the walkway – it’s always nice,’ he said, smiling.

‘It’s been such a small field for so many years that there aren’t that many golfers who’ve seen this course as much as myself or Henrik Stenson or Martin Kaymer. We’ve got a slight advantage because we know the golf course pretty well and between the three of us we’ve done fairly well here over the years.’