Luke Donald

Since joining the PGA Tour in 2002 Luke Donald has steadily improved. Entering his fifth year as a PGA Tour pro, his scoring average has gone from 70.64 to 69.33, a notable drop and he continues to be a consistent force week in and week out. Woods, Singh, and Furyk were the only ones ahead of him in that statistical category.

Intense focus, attention to detail, calm nerves, and lofty goals all describe what Donald brings to everything he does. The guy who makes a list of everything he needs to do on his off weeks and gets them all done is perfect for the kind of work he’s in. Course management and a cool head are very important for a guy who doesn’t play driver wedge into long par-fours.

Donald has a game more like Hogan than Vijay Singh. At 5’9″ and 160 pounds he doesn’t have the imposing advantage of an Els or Singh but he has honed what works for him and what would work for a lot of other guys too: consistency. I consider Donald’s approach a refreshing oasis in a desert of nuke-it and wedge-it. Donald’s pursuit of greens in regulation is how he makes it happen on the PGA Tour.

Donald didn’t take it personally when Tiger called him a plodder. “Plodding just means that I hit the ball really straight,” said Donald in a 2005 interview. “Find the green and take two putts. I’m not overly long off the tee, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interesting to watch. Crowds will always love good shots.” John Means, Donald’s coach at Northwestern College, said “I’ve never seen him hit trouble shots, because I’ve never seen him in trouble.”

Born December 7, 1977 and with a degree in Art Theory and Practice from Northwestern University, Donald is a steady competitor. He’s quiet but not shy, steady but a solid competitor. He resides in Chicago, IL which I suppose is a good fit for a guy born in Hempstead, England.

The last and only time Donald won an official PGA Tour event was at the 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. He notched two international victories in 2004, both on the European Tour, and won the 2005 Target World Challenge. Keep in mind that he’s only been playing a full PGA Tour schedule since 2002. It is astounding to consider the amount of talent that shows up each week and the fact that Donald has reached as high as 13th in the world rankings at this early stage in his career is remarkable.

Donald’s personality is not of the in-your-face sort; it’s much more matter-of-fact. His game matches his attitude. A quick look at his 2005 stats reveal what a well-rounded and solid player he is, given the fact that he’s more Funky than Tiger-esque off the tee. He averaged 284.5 yards for 135th, hit 64.3% of his fairways for 75th, 68.4% of Greens in Regulation for 22nd, and had a 1.774 putting average for 83rd. His scoring average was 4th at 69.33 and Donald finished 17th on the money list come seasons end. Boring? Nope, just consistent. Boring golf that gets results is better on the blood pressure anyway.

When it came time for Jack Nicklaus to play his final British Open last year Luke was chosen to be in his group with Tom Watson likely because he was the top European golfer at the time. Playing partner Nicklaus had this to say: “I know he’s capable of winning it. And he’s going to win some. It’s just when is the question.” Donald enjoyed playing with two of the game’s greats. He said, “The atmosphere was amazing.”

Ever since Phil Mickelson dropped the moniker “Greatest Player Not to Have Won a Major” there has been a search for the next “Greatest Player Not to Have Won a Major.” Frankly, Phil wore it better than anyone else but has long since cast it off with victories at the Masters and PGA. Some have suggested that Luke Donald is the next “Greatest…” but I think its entirely unjustified at this point. For a start, there are others who are more deserving than he is in that department: Monty, Garcia, and DiMarco are certainly ahead of him. It’s still too early in his career to slap that title on him. Should he win another five tournaments in the next three years and have a couple of second in the majors then we can revisit the issue.

Sponsored by Mizuno, Donald has a bag full of clubs in the “players” category. Mizuno lists him using MP-32 irons, 54° and 60° MP series wedges, and a Fli-Hi CLK 17° hybrid. Golf Digest lists his other sticks as a Titleist 905T, 9.5° Driver, a 15° Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead Plus fairway wood, and a black Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport 2 putter. He mixes up his fairway woods a bit and will put a 2-iron in the bag depending on the conditions.

Growing up in windy conditions made Donald a low hitter to keep the ball under the wind. He had to adjust that approach when he moved to the Unites States as the courses over here call for a higher ball flight. He had this to say about the difference in his game:

My golf game is influenced heavily by the wind-swept links of my home in England, a place where low-flying, accurate iron shots are much more important than 300-yard drives. The courses are designed differently, and there is a different mentality in the way the game is played. Back home, accuracy is the goal. Here, it’s distance. So when I came to America for college five years ago, I knew I had to get longer.

It is the accuracy that he grew up honing which has delivered such good results here in the States. Donald has since worked on distance. A combination of equipment evolution, weight training, and stretching has made him quite a bit longer. “I would say I was 25 yards longer off the tee when I won my first PGA Tour event… than when I won the NCAA Championship in 1999,” said Donald in 2003. “Even better, I’ve lost no accuracy in the process.”

Perhaps his most enviable qualities are his accuracy, a cool demeanor, and silky tempo. Rest assured, they are related. While much of the media prizes big guys with driver shafts like tree trunks that hit the ball well into the mid 300s, Donald plays within himself with his regular-flex driver shaft. This should be a lesson to all of us: put the ball in the fairway and play equipment that complements your game, not your ego.

A couple of years ago Donald hired sports-performance coach Jim Fanning to help boost his confidence. He was having a tough time believing he could play with guys like Tiger, and while he can’t (along with no one else) his confidence has improved. “I’m not thinking about making the cut,” said Donald at last years British Open. “For the first time here, I’m playing to win.” With a T2 at the Players Championship and a T3 at the Masters it seems like whatever Fanning is telling him works. I like it that two short-hitters were up towards the top at Augusta: DiMarco and Donald.

Luke Donald has a lot of good years ahead of him on the PGA Tour. Because he is accurate with his long irons and fairway woods, he’s going to be a contender. It’s just a matter of time before he wins a major. With the way he continues to improve and dial in his game it could be sooner than later.

Photo Credit: Jeff J. Mitchell/Reuters, Ryder Cup 2004.