All about timing as Danny Willett embarks on PGA Tour stint

The Sheffield golfer will begin life as a PGA Tour player on Thursday at the Desert Classic in La Quinta, California, opening an eight month stint where he will primarily be based across the Atlantic.

Willett has previously turned down the chance to play in the US, an opportunity which arose after he won The Masters in 2016.

But he feels it was a case of now or never with his two sons not yet starting school.

"The kids are at an age where they're not at school," Willett told The Star.

"They're pretty good at travelling now.

"We've still got three year's exemption in America so it's a good time to go for a year or two and then make the choice - do you like it or not like it?

"If you like it you have a decision to make and if you don't it's an easy decision.

"It's timing with the kids and family and the golf.

"I think it's a good time to get out there and give it a go."

Willett hopes the spell in the US will give him more opportunity to spend time with wife Nicole and sons Zachariah and Noah due to the ease of travel in comparison with the European Tour, which spreads more globally.

Based in Orlando, Florida, he will have easy access to flights across the country, allowing him to be home from a tournament in a matter of a few short hours.

"We've got a base there to work from, travelling then will be less because you're in and out of local airports rather than it being trans-Atlantic the whole time," he said.

"We're going to give it a good go and see where we're at.

"I hope it does give me more time with the family.

"You can do one or two weeks in America and in the past if you had a week off you'd contemplate going home or not because it's a long way to travel and put your body through with jet lag and time zones.

"Every week in America, barring when we're on the west coast, you'd be able to get back Sunday night and fly out Tuesday morning."

The 31-year-old admits practice will be much easier at this time in the Floridian climate in comparison to a British winter.

Willett is looking to build on his impressive end to 2018 when fitness and form returned to his game after two tough years.

And he intends to do so on both the PGA and European Tours, feeling a loyalty to the organisation where he made his name.

"We'll play both tours," he said.

"Scheduling changes and it enables you to play in both easier and enables you to hopefully have some success on both tours as well.

"I'm looking forward to playing a bit more in America.

"The practice facilities, the weather, that time of the year early in the year, it's hard to do loads of great work when it's minus two and raining or snowing.

"We'll play the first run of events on the west coast and see how we like it. Then you get a run on the east coast, the Florida swing before the Majors start. "Because they're condensing their schedule this year the season finishes earlier and allows you to play the back end of the European Tour as well.

"I'm European. The European Tour is where I built my game up.

"The PGA Tour is incredibly difficult one to turn down when you're in my position with exemptions.

"I think it's a case of really balancing it as much as I can and trying to support both tours as much as I can."

Willett is due to start his opening round at 5.40pm on Thursday.