Danny Willett’s game hits peak at good time in British Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – One of the many text messages that Danny Willett received after his second round at the British Open came from his mother. She wrote: “Well done, you’ve made the cut.”

He’s doing much better than that.

Willett, a vicar’s son from northern England who likes nothing better than walking his dog and having dinner round his parents’ house, shot a 3-under 69 – after an opening 66 – and held the clubhouse lead by two shots when bad light finally stopped play Friday. He was 9 under overall.

Dustin Johnson, on 10 under, was the only player above Willett on the leaderboard but still has five holes to complete in his second round. Willett is set to be in the final group in today’s third round.

“It’s a childhood dream,” Willett said in his strong Yorkshire accent. “Looking at the leaderboard, it’s still a little bit surreal.”

Casual golf fans are unlikely to know much, if anything, about Willett. In his post-round news conference, he was even asked by American journalists to give a brief resume of his life and golf career. He has quite a back-story.

Willett quit college at age 16 after just a month, went to Jacksonville State in the United States, and dedicated his life to golf. He was the top-ranked amateur when he decided to turn pro in 2008. A year earlier, in the British Amateur Championship, he played Rory McIlroy in the final and went 5 up after six holes before winning on No. 17.

Now he’s eyeing the claret jug.

“Amateur and professional golf are very, very different but it put me in good stead,” said Willett, who is ranked No. 39. “It made me believe that I could compete with the best of them.”