Former Masters champion Danny Willett had to withdraw from the Dubai Desert Classic after being hit with yet another injury blow.
The 2016 Green Jacket winner has had a torrid time with injuries over the last few years, most notably shoulder surgery in 2023 that kept him out of the game for seven months.
The Englishman had hoped for a fresh start in 2026 after struggling to find his form since the surgery, but he's had another setback in Dubai after pulling out with a hamstring injury.
Willett puled out ahead of the second round at Emirates Golf Club, saying that he'd torn a tendon in his hamstring.
The 38-year-old shot a four-over 76 in the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic, but was unable to tee off in round two on Friday.
It's unclear how he picked up the "massively frustrating" fresh injury, but he hopes to "get this sorted and back out there soon" as he said in a social media post.
Before having shoulder surgery, Willett also struggled with back problems in recent times and the culmination of all these fitness issues has been a big dip in form.
He spoke just ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic detailing how tough it had been on the long road back to full recovery, and being finally able to prepapre and then play pain free.
Absolutely gutted to have to withdraw from @DubaiDCGolf due to a tendon tear in my hamstring. Such a great week so massively frustrating…hope to get this sorted and back out there soon. pic.twitter.com/qMDT7ExzQVJanuary 23, 2026
"The last few years have been a roller coaster," Willett said on the DP World Tour website ahead of this week's event. "When I’ve played well, I’ve won. But then there is a hell of a lot of missed cuts there."
Willett has missed 20 cuts from the 37 events he's played since returning from surgery, with one top 10 finish just showcasing how tough it's been for him to find his form again.
He's reunited with former coach Mike Walker, who was with him for his Masters triumph during his golden spell of form, and was hoping that would do the trick this year.
"Me and Mike had a lot of success before and we’re just trying to pick up on the good things that we did 2014 through to 2017," Willett said.
"We’re really trying to get a good understanding and get some consistency back."
Unfortunately for Willett the injury curse has struck again before he's really been able to get going this season - but hopefully it's a problem he can recover from quickly without losing too much time.
