He then joined the Tour itself alongside all Europe's big names and his main ambition was to do well enough retain his card for next year - a tough ask for a Tour which has regularly chewed up and spat out first-year novices.

But the 21-year-old Sheffielder from Rotherham Golf Club already stands 28th in the Tour rankings with total earnings already of 87,000 euros after adding another dollop of prize money topping 30,000 euros this week from his excellent showing at the Abu Dhabi Championship.

His joint-fourth finish in the Johannesburg Open, a pro career best, the previous week was followed by the superb eighth place (alongside Sergio Garcia) in Abu Dhabi this weekend, only five shots off winner Paul Casey who took the £217,000 first prize.

Willett had been only four off the lead going into the final two rounds and his final round of five-under par 67 was his second bogey-free round of the tournament.

Next stop for Willett is the Qatar Masters in Doha.