DANNY WILLETT still laughs at being mistaken for Games of Thrones’ Theon Greyjoy — by a couple from his native Yorkshire!
And with his bid for a second Masters triumph on hold until November, 2016 champion Willett can sympathise with his acting double Alfie Allen.
The Sheffield golfer, 32, grinned: “The first time I got the Theon thing was at the airport coming back from the Masters.
“I could see this elderly couple nudging each other saying ‘it is him, I’m sure it’s him’.
“Then they came up to me and said ‘it is you isn’t it?’ in a broad Yorkshire accent and I said ‘yes, it’s me, I’m Danny Willett and I’ve just won the Masters’.
“But they said ‘don’t try to kid us, you’re the guy who plays Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones’. They wouldn’t believe it wasn’t the case.
“I made the mistake of mentioning it to some mates when we got home and I couldn’t shake it for quite a while. Actually, a few other people thought I was Theon too.
“But it’s died down recently, pretty much since the final series of Game of Thrones ended.
“I suppose the actor who played Theon is a bit like me — in between jobs at the moment!”
TITLE No2 DREAM ON HOLD
If coronavirus had not intervened, Willett would have been preparing for an alarm call today ahead of the first round of the 2020 Masters.
Instead he was expecting a wake-up call from sons Zac, four, and Noah, two, at their second home just outside Orlando.
Willett said: “I’m still making time for practice and staying fit, although for the most part I’ve had to swap the golf swing for the ones the boys can play on.
“But having so much quality time together as a family has made the coronavirus restrictions a lot easier.
“There are a heck of a lot of people far worse off than we are and I’ve actually enjoyed getting a snapshot of what life is for my wife, Nic, all the time.
“I need to start playing again soon for a rest!
“Wherever the first event back is held, they are going to have a hell of a field showing up. It will probably be a bit like a fifth Major.”
Willett would have been quietly confident about his chances at Augusta this week.
His career nosedived after his 2016 triumph, largely due to a recurring back injury, and he dropped from the top ten of the world rankings to 462nd.
But he has overcome the injury and big wins in the BMW PGA Championship and the DP World Tour Championship have lifted him back to 33rd in the rankings.
He added: “I finished 12th and sixth in the last two Majors, so I feel I’m getting back to somewhere near my best.
“Hopefully, that trend will continue when we do eventually get back on the course.”
