Willett is determined to put successful year behind him

The 22-year-old Rotherham member finished fourth in Johannesburg last season, the first of eight top-10s in a highly-encouraging rookie campaign that ended with qualification to the lucrative Dubai World Championship at the end of the season.

He moved on from South Africa to finish eighth in a stellar field at the Abu Dhabi Championship the following week.

However, if he is to improve on his 58th-place finish in last year's Order of Merit, the former Yorkshire Amateur champion feels he must forget all that has gone before. "One of the difficulties for me this year will be trying not to over-emphasise what I did last year," said Willett, who also recorded top 10s in South Korea, Wales, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal.

"I can't turn up to tournaments thinking 'I did well here last year so that means I'll do well here again'. I can't put that pressure on myself."

Today marks Willett's first competitive golf since his disappointing last-place finish at the Dubai World Championship back in November.

But with his status on tour granting him exemption to the next three tournaments in the Middle East, the pressure to succeed in his first tournament back is not so great.

Defending champion at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington is Anders Hansen, while his fellow Dane and former Ryder Cup player Soren Hansen is also in the field.

Harrogate's John Parry and Sheffield's Neil Cheetham begin their campaigns on the West Course today while Hull's Richard Finch commences his 2010 season on the East Course alongside Willett.