“There’s nothing really further from the truth,” said Donald in
the wake of his impressive Match Play
victory. “I think my desire and work
ethic is as good as anyone’s out there.
What’s important to me is picking up
trophies and not checks.”
That, he says, is what the game has
always been about for him, from grow-
ing up in england, to coming to the
u.S. to attend Northwestern univer-
sity, to winning the NCAA Champi-
onship in 1999. He’s always been a
bit of a Renaissance Man, attending
Northwestern instead of a golf hotbed
like Oklahoma State, majoring in art,
being a connoisseur of fine food and
wine (and now one of several players
with their own wine label). He’s di-
minutive and soft-spoken. His façade
doesn’t reveal the fire burning within.
To be sure, Donald has been long on
purse money and short on victories
during his 10-year career. Before his
Match Play victory he had won twice
on the PGA Tour, the Southern Farm
Bureau Classic in 2002 and the Honda
Classic in 2006. He won three times
on the european Tour. He had never
really contended in a major championship, although at this year's Masters
he tied for fourth with Tiger Woods at
10-under. While collecting more than
$25 million in total purses, he had to
be doing something right, just not
enough right to win consistently.
Name: Luke Donald
Born: Hemel Hempstead,
england, december 7, 1977
height: 5ft 9in
Residence: florida
PGA Tour victories:
3
World Ranking: 2
<<wine connoisseur: luke has recently come
out with his own wine label in association
with terlato international wines of chicago
“I think my desire and work ethic
is as good as anyone’s out there.
What’s important to me is picking
up trophies and not checks.”
After a vigorous off-season training program, during which he worked
harder than ever on his short game, it
all came together in Tucson with the
biggest victory of his life. All this hard
work, he says, is necessary because he
just isn’t a Dustin Johnson or Bubba
Watson or Nick Watney in terms of
length. “I don’t think I’m a modern
day player,” he says. “I need to get bet-
ter off the tee. You know, every time I
come out at the beginning of the sea-
son, I play with these new players and
they’re all hitting it 30, 40 yards past
me. Being a little bit short off the tee is
a disadvantage.”
The Match Play exemplified Don-
ald’s game. His victories over Matt
Kuchar in the semifinal and Kaymer
