The 2014 season is one Jamie Donaldson will not forget in a hurry. Good finishes at big events, a third European Tour title in as many seasons, and a place won in the European Ryder Cup side at Gleneagles - the Welshman could not have asked for much more. So let's take a look back through his campaign and see how he went about qualifying for The Ryder Cup...
Delivering when it matters has been the key to Jamie Donaldson’s qualification for Paul McGinley’s European Ryder Cup team, as has a fondness for the big occasion.
The talented Welshman has had September’s Ryder Cup at Gleneagles hanging over him all season, with participation in the showpiece match play event seen by many as a highlight of a golfing career, alongside success in the Majors.
Donaldson was firmly in the qualification mix ever since finishing in a tie for second at his first event of the season, the Nedbank Golf Challenge. After starting the season so well, the 38 year old has continued to impress this year, and came into the D+D REAL Czech Masters needing a good performance to confirm a maiden appearance in the biennial match play contest, against the best the USA has to offer.
Donaldson’s talent has never been in doubt, but would he be able to cope with the pressure? The answer was resounding in Prague, as the Challenge Tour graduate led from the front at Albatross Golf Resort with a first round 66, before finding the magic touch in the final round, to seal a two-stroke victory and a third European Tour title.
The 2014 Ryder Cup will be just the sort of stage for someone who can perform so clinically when it matters most.
Where better to start when looking back at the journey that has thrust the Pontypridd native into the Ryder Cup spotlight, than at the afore-mentioned Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, where Donaldson led going into the final day, only to finish two back from eventual winner Thomas Björn, alongside Ryder Cup stalwart Sergio Garcia, in a tie for second.
That week under the South African sun, Donaldson proved he meant business and was not prepared to rest on his laurels after a fine 2013 season, which saw the Welsh wizard finish in a career-best fifth in The Race to Dubai rankings.
Quickly moving on from that fine display at the Nedbank, he began the New Year by finishing in a tie for 13th at the Volvo Golf Champions. Next up came the chance to defend the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship title, which Donaldson won in such impressive fashion in 2013.
It was not to be, but Jamie still made the cut, before continuing the Desert Swing with a ten under par total at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, to finish in a tie for 20th.
More air miles were totted up as Jamie made his way to the World Golf Championships in the States. Although he didn’t make his mark at the Accenture Match Play Championship, he did more than that at the WGC – Cadillac Championship, where only Patrick Reed finished ahead of Donaldson and Bubba Watson, who tied for second, in a star-studded field.
That performance brought home more than half a million Euro for the easy-going Welshman, who followed that notable display with another high-class week at the Masters Tournament at Augusta, where a tie for 14th further outlined his credentials in the big events. A pattern was emerging of a player who maintained his composure and raised his game on the biggest golfing stages.
A costly and un-characteristic final round 76 at his next event, the BMW PGA Championship, saw Donaldson finish in a tie for 30th at Wentworth – by no means a bad result. A missed cut at the US Open followed, but not to worry, Donaldson’s easy-on-the-eye swing was working again at his next two European Tour events, the BMW International Open & the Alstom Open de France, where he finished tied for fifth in both.
Perhaps those commendable performances took a lot out of Donaldson, who never got going at either the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open or The 143rd Open Championship, failing to make the weekend at both.
However, the golf season is long and even the best have their off-weeks, so it was no surprise to see Jamie bounce back with a solid showing at the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational, before he headed to the year’s final Major, the US PGA Championship, where amid all the Ryder Cup talk, Donaldson stayed calm and let his golf do the talking, finishing in a tie for 24th.
That brings us back in a roundabout way to the D+D REAL Czech Masters, where Donaldson so calmly put the final touches on what has been a standout season, with a memorable victory in Prague. It was a fitting way for the Welshman to seal his place in the European Ryder Cup side. Exciting times lie ahead. Congratulations Jamie!
