Luke Donald is #1 in the World

[k-troop]

Okay, that's obvious--at least by OWGR.  This week.  And the way golf is going, it's subject to change.  But I think Luke is shaping up to be the best #1 we've had since Tiger, and maybe up there with some of the best who've held that distinction.

Luke held that position for most of 2011, capturing it in May 2011 with a win at the BMW Championship, the European Tour's biggest event.  During that time, he captured both US and European Tour money titles, and just about every honor you can get on the PGA Tour without winning a major.

This year, he's lost the #1 spot 3 times, for a total of 7 weeks:

--4 March:  Rory picks up #1 by winning the Honda (2 weeks at #1).

--18 March:  Luke recaptured #1 by winning the Transitions.

--15 April:  Rory picks up #1 in a week when he didn't even play (2 weeks at #1).

--29 April:  Luke recaptures #1 by finishing 3rd in New Orleans.

--6 May:  Rory takes #1 by finishing T2 at Quail Hollow (3 weeks at #1).

That's 14/21 weeks this year at #1 in OWGR.  During this time, Luke never fell below #2, and was never more than 7/10ths of a point back.

--27 May:  Luke takes #1 by winning the BMW Championship for a second straight year.  He takes the biggest lead in OWGR since February:  1.1 points.  That lead will surely be bigger after this week, as Rory misses his 3rd straight cut, and Luke is on his way to likely another T25 finish.

Here's why I think Luke is a great #1.

--He's captured the #1 spot 4 times, each time by taking it, rather than backing into it:  win (2011 BMW), win (2012 Transitions), 3rd (2012 New Orleans), and win (2012 BMW).

--Since he captured #1 in 2011, he's played 6 events while not ranked #1.  His finishes are 6th (Doral), W (Transitions), 37th (Harbour Town), 3rd (New Orleans), 6th (Players), and W (BMW).

--He's been jockeying for #1 with two of the greatest champions in the game today:  Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy.  Lee hasn't won during this stretch, but has put up several top-5s and top-10s; Rory has won 3 times since Luke became #1.

So, counting this week, Luke has spent 47 of the last 54 weeks at #1.  When he loses that spot, he plays extremely well--and gets it back.  He's winning tournaments against the current world's best players, and he's now firmly back in the #1 spot.  People don't give him credit because he's not flashy, but I think he's earned the right to be called the World's Best Golfer.

[Mr. Desmond]

Luke is Mr. Consistency - which is why he is at the top or always next to it.

He was not consistent at the beginning of the year - it may be due to the fact that I believe he changed wedges, and possibly, irons.

Apparently, that is working out.

Now if he can drive the ball like he can hit irons.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Luke is Mr. Consistency - which is why he is at the top or always next to it.

He gets pegged as Mr. Consistency, but that implies that he's not winning.  Who among the top players is winning more over the last two years?

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by k-troop

He gets pegged as Mr. Consistency, but that implies that he's not winning.  Who among the top players is winning more over the last two years?

That's only implied in your defensiveness.

Tiger was Mr. Consistency. Does that imply he did not win?

Gheez.

Luke is consistently near the top over the last two years - people would like him to win more often because they were accustomed to a No. 1 being dominant. Luke is not dominant like Tiger, but he is showing some killer instinct lately - winning the Disney when he had to in order to win the money titles..