In the second of our series in the build-up to next week's Masters Tournament at Augusta National, we turn the focus on England's Luke Donald....
It is quite often the case that the final nine holes of a golf tournament turn into a match play scenario. If that is the case at Augusta next Sunday, it would be a brave man who would bet against Luke Donald coming through to triumph.
The 33 year old Englishman showed the world of golf he was peerless in the head to head format a month ago with a stunning victory in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, never behind in any of his six matches before seeing off new World Number One Martin Kaymer in the final.
Always reliable from tee to green, a razor sharp touch around the desert putting surfaces added a further dimension to his play and is a factor which will be a valuable asset to the Englishman as he seeks to improve on the two top ten finishes he has notched at Augusta in his career – tied third in 2005 and tied tenth in 2007.
“You can’t win at Augusta National without a strong short game and I feel very confident in that area at the moment,” he said. “My short game played a big role in my win in the Match Play and I’m looking forward to it helping me at the Masters.
“Confidence going into the Masters is also a huge asset, and my recent win certainly has me believing I can compete against the very best players in the world.”
Of course, the softly spoken Englishman is one of those, not only being currently Number Three in the Official World Golf Ranking, but also top of The 2011 Race to Dubai on The European Tour.
He enjoyed his third European Tour triumph in the Madrid Masters last May, a week after finishing second in Tour’s flagship tournament at Wentworth Club – the BMW PGA Championship – highlights of a season which saw him finish 15th in The Race to Dubai and third in the FedEx Cup on the US PGA Tour.
At least one European Tour Member has finished in the top three at Augusta in 24 of the past 31 years – since Seve Ballesteros’ memorable first triumph in 1980 – and Donald is part of the new European vanguard at the top of the World Rankings who has the game capable of continuing that quest for the Green Jacket.
“The Masters, and the Green Jacket, has such a rich tradition in our sport and it would be a tremendous thrill to add my name to that history,” said the Englishman.
“Obviously we all aim to leave our mark in golfing history with Major Championships, and next to winning an Open Championship, winning the Masters would be a career highlight.”
Tomorrow, we look at the man who finished runner up last year, World Number Two Lee Westwood of England.....
