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Luke's Major ambition
Why, and where, I believe Donald will win a 2012 Major
THERE was a time when some people believed Luke Donald was too nice to make it to the very top.
The 34-year-old has always been quiet, courteous and considerate but don’t let that mislead you.
Those in the know told me years ago his affable nature hid a steely resolve to do everything in his power to maximise his potential as a golfer. And how right they were.
The first time I watched Cool Hand Luke was back at the 1999 Walker Cup and GB&I captain Peter McEvoy described the Englishman as a silent assassin as he watched Donald win two foursomes in partnership with Paul Casey and also claim two singles wins.
Donald was mightily impressive that memorable weekend and he was to display similar tenacity two years later at Ocean Forest when in his second Walker Cup appearance he added a further three points.
Not many golfers leave the amateur game with a 7-1 Walker Cup record but Donald quickly proved it was no fluke when a couple of months later he earned a PGA Tour card at his first attempt.
On that occasion he was right on the bubble until he gave himself a bit of breathing space by holing a crucial seven-foot birdie putt on the penultimate hole.
“Right then, I realised ‘this is crunch time’,” he said later. “Although I might have seemed calm, I wasn’t that calm inside. It was good to know that under pressure I can still perform. That felt more pleasing to me than anything else.”
So, you ask, where will Donald’s best chance of winning one of this year’s Majors come? The US Open at Olympic.
Donald has been performing well under pressure ever since. The following year, he capped a solid rookie season with a victory in the rain-shortened Southern Farm Bureau Classic and he was also to win once more in the US (at the 2006 Honda Classic) and three times in Europe before embarking on his annus mirabilis in 2011.
His golf was nothing short of sensational as he ended any lingering doubts about his ability to compete at the very highest level.
The Wycombe Wanderer began the year with a win in the WGC Match Play and then moved up to the top of the world ranking when he defeated compatriot Lee Westwood in extra time at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Thereafter, he consolidated top spot with two further victories and become the first man to head the money list on both the US and European Tour.
In 25 starts in Europe and the USA he posted no fewer than 19 top-10 finishes. Indeed, the only thing that eluded him was a maiden Major victory.
Donald has admitted that his failure to win a Major was his sole disappointment but there would appear to be absolutely no reason why he cannot rectify that omission either in 2012 or at some time in the near future.
There will be those who tell you that Donald does not hit the ball far enough to win on the longer Major courses but in response I need only mention the name Zach Johnson who is hardly one of game’s biggest hitters but who won the Masters the year after it had been stretched to well over 7,600 yards in 2007.
According to his peers, there is currently nobody better in the short-game department than Donald.
“Luke is one of the most consistent players in the world and his short game is probably the best,” said his Ryder Cup colleague, Martin Kaymer. “I used to think Phil Mickelson was great but Luke is a joke.”
Tony Jacklin, who also knows a thing or two about winning Majors, concurs. “Last year, I played a practice round with Luke in Florida and his short game was incredible, better even than I thought having watched him on TV.
“I honestly believe that, from 100 yards in, he’s as good as I have ever seen,” added the former Open and US Open champion. “He has unreal distance control. He’s a superb putter and with those weapons you can’t discount him wherever he plays.”
So, you ask, where will Donald’s best chance of winning one of this year’s Majors come? Personally, provided he can control his sometime errant driving, I think it will be at this year’s US Open at the Olympic Club, a course that will suit his game to a tee.
Either way, though, I’m sure it won’t be long before he disproves the theory that nice guys never win the big prizes.
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