Luke Donald will make his debut in The Celtic Manor Wales Open from June 3-6 as he sets his sights on winning a place in Europe’s team for The 2010 Ryder Cup which will be played at the same South Wales venue later in the year.
Competing for a share of the £1.8m Wales Open prize fund, Donald will get a good look at The Twenty Ten Course which will provide such a spectacular stage for The Ryder Cup in October.
The Chicago-based Englishman is bidding to regain the place on the European Team he held in the record victories of 2004 and 2006, when he contributed five-and-a-half points from a possible seven. He was unavailable for the last match at Valhalla in 2008 because of a wrist injury.
Donald is a two-time winner on both The European Tour and the US PGA Tour and he has returned to form with three top ten finishes in the United States this season. He currently stands seventh on The Ryder Cup World Points List, just outside the four automatic qualifying places, and his first appearance in The Celtic Manor Wales Open will come at the end of a three-week spell in Europe.
“After The Players Championship in the States, I’m going to play at Wentworth, Madrid and then at Celtic Manor for the Wales Open,” said Donald in his diary for golfmagic.com. “I haven’t played The Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor yet so hopefully it will be good practice for The Ryder Cup because I'm determined to make the team again.”
Donald, the current World No 19 ranked golfer, turned professional in 2001 after a standout amateur career which included two winning Walker Cup appearances for Great Britain and Ireland. Both his European Tour wins – at the Scandinavian Masters and the Omega European Masters –came in 2004, sandwiched by victories on the US PGA Tour at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in 2002 and the Honda Classic in 2006.
A World Cup winner with Paul Casey for England in 2004, Donald was joint fifth in last year’s Open Championship at Turnberry, his best Major Championship performance since tying for third place in the 2005 Masters Tournament and the 2006 US PGA Championship.
Celtic Manor Resort Chief Executive Dylan Matthews said: “We are delighted that Luke Donald has entered the tournament as we look forward to seeing the strongest playing field ever assembled for the Wales Open.
“Luke is certainly one of the players European Captain Colin Montgomerie will be watching closely as his Team takes shape and it’s great that spectators at The Celtic Manor Wales Open will get the chance to see him at close quarters for the first time.”
The tournament is staged for the 11th time this summer and former winners include Paul McGinley, Paul Lawrie, Ian Poulter, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Robert Karlsson and the defending champion, Jeppe Huldahl.
Any European following in their footsteps this summer will not only have boosted their qualifying prospects to the tune of the £300,000 winner’s cheque, they will also have given Montgomerie the broadest possible hint at their ability to play The Ryder Cup venue.
As well as top class sporting action at one of The European Tour’s leading events, The Celtic Manor Wales Open also offers spectators the chance to enjoy family attractions in the tented village and provides a great value, full day out. Children Under-16 enjoy free entry if accompanied by an adult.
For more information and tickets please visit wales-open.com or contact Special Events on 01633 410318.
