Luke Donald is hoping he can build on the confidence he gained at the US PGA Championship when the European Ryder Cup Captain makes his debut at the Soudal Open.
The Englishman came into the second men’s Major Championship of the season having missed his previous four cuts on the PGA TOUR but played all four rounds at Valhalla Golf Club.
Donald saw a “breakthrough” in his game prior to arriving in Kentucky but says it was pleasing to see things come together in tournament play.
“It could always be better,” he said, when reflecting on his year so far.
“I started off quite nicely in Dubai, played two events in Dubai and made the cut in both events.
"It has been a bit of an uphill battle in the U.S. I played four events before last week and missed the cut in all four.
“I have been working at my game but not seeing much progress and then got a little bit of a breakthrough with a few things I have been working on a couple weeks ago and that showed.
"I had a nice performance last week. To play four rounds in a Major is always satisfying and hopefully something I can build on for this week.”
While preparation for next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park, New York, is ongoing in the background, Donald says his immediate focus is on his own golf and producing the best performance possible.
“I am still concentrated on trying to do as well as I can this week,” he added.
“I am always a competitor in my heart. Again, I took some encouragement from last week so hopefully I can build on that and put myself in a position to maybe have a chance this week.”
Donald is this week visiting Belgium for the first time and the former World Number One is looking forward to testing his game on a layout that has played host to the nation’s sole event on the DP World Tour over recent years.
“It’s a new experience for me. I’ve not spent any time really in Belgium, so it is always nice to visit a new place, a new country, new cultures and see a new golf course,” he said.
“I have heard good things about this [course], tree-lined, one of the players’ favourites, an old school golf course so I am excited for a good week.”
Donald played a practice round with 14-year-old Belgian amateur, Arthur Haghedooren, on Tuesday and is impressed with the depth of talent from the nation.
“I think it is very strong,” he said. “There are some good young Belgian players.
“Obviously, Thomas Detry finished fourth last week [at the US PGA Championship].
"Adrien Dumont De Chassart is a good up and coming player and Thomas Pieters has been a great player over the years so for such a small country it has some great players and the same [is the case] all over Europe.”
