View text source at Wikipedia


Luke Donald

Luke Donald
MBE
Donald in April 2011 at The Heritage
Personal information
Full nameLuke Campbell Donald
Born (1977-12-07) 7 December 1977 (age 47)
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality England
ResidenceNorthfield, Illinois, U.S.;[1]
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.;[2][3]
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England;[citation needed]
Jupiter, Florida, U.S.[1]
Spouse
Diane Antonopoulos
(m. 2007)
Children3
Career
CollegeNorthwestern University[1]
Turned professional2001
Current tour(s)PGA Tour (joined 2002)
European Tour (joined 2003)
Professional wins17
Highest ranking1 (29 May 2011)[4]
(56 weeks)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
European Tour7
Japan Golf Tour2
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT3: 2005
PGA ChampionshipT3: 2006
U.S. OpenT8: 2013
The Open ChampionshipT5: 2009, 2012
Achievements and awards
Fred Haskins Award1999
PGA Tour
money list winner
2011
PGA Tour
Player of the Year
2011
PGA Player of the Year2011
Byron Nelson Award2011
Vardon Trophy2011
European Tour
Race to Dubai winner
2011
European Tour
Golfer of the Year
2011
European Tour
Players' Player of the Year
2011

Luke Campbell Donald MBE (born 7 December 1977) is an English professional golfer and former world number one. He plays mainly on the U.S.-based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour.

Donald had an outstanding year in 2011, winning several tournaments and awards. He won the PGA Tour money list and European Race to Dubai to complete a historic double, becoming the first player to win both money lists on the PGA and European Tours in the same year.[5] He was named the PGA Player of the Year and the European Tour Golfer of the Year. He also became the first Englishman to win the PGA Tour Player of the Year award, the PGA Tour's Vardon Trophy and the Mark H. McCormack Award for the most weeks at number one during a calendar year. He was later awarded honorary life membership of the European Tour for his achievements in 2011.

In May 2011, Donald became the number one golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. He held the number one position for 40 weeks between May 2011 and March 2012 before Rory McIlroy briefly took over as world number one. The pair then exchanged the number one position a further four times in the following two months. On 27 May 2012, Donald regained the world number one ranking after successfully defending his BMW PGA Championship title. He held the number one position for a further 10 weeks before McIlroy displaced him again. Donald has spent a cumulative total of 56 weeks as the World Number One and has spent over 200 weeks in the top-10.[6] He was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to golf.[7] Donald has had eight top-10 finishes in major championships, with two third-place finishes. He is one of two golfers to achieve the world number one ranking without winning a major, the other being fellow Englishman Lee Westwood.

Donald captained the European team in the 2023 Ryder Cup side to a 1612-1112 victory over the United States at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Early life

[edit]

Although his father was from Stranraer in southwest Scotland,[8] Donald was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. He has described himself as "half Scottish".[8] Nevertheless, Donald plays golf as an Englishman and represented England in golf's World Cup. Donald attended the Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley and later the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe.[9] He played junior golf at Hazlemere and Beaconsfield Golf Clubs. He was twice the club champion of Beaconsfield, first winning the championship at the age of 15. Donald's brother Christian also played junior golf and caddied for Luke.[citation needed]

Early career

[edit]

Coming from England, he joined College Prospects of America, a service also employed by golfer Martin Laird, which created a résumé for him and sent it to all the major colleges and universities in the United States. Several coaches responded, including Wally Goodwin at Stanford University. Goodwin recruited Donald to join his golf squad, but Donald was not admitted to the university.[10]

Donald subsequently took a golf scholarship at Northwestern University in 1997, where he studied art theory and practice, and became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. His golf coach at Northwestern University was Pat Goss.[11] He won the individual NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships men's title in 1999, beating the scoring record formerly held by Tiger Woods.[12] He and David Lipsky share the Northwestern University school record of 202, for a 54-hole tournament score.[13] Luke also became the first amateur to win the Chicago Open in 2000.[14]

Professional career

[edit]

2001–2010

[edit]

Donald turned professional in 2001, making his debut as a professional at the Reno-Tahoe Open on the PGA Tour courtesy of a sponsors exemption. He missed the cut in his debut, but managed to earn invitations into six more events on the PGA Tour in 2001, making three cuts. He earned his tour card for the 2002 season by finishing T23rd at the Q-School.

In 2002, Donald made his first start as a member of the PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii, finishing tied for 13th. Donald won his maiden title on the PGA Tour in November 2002 at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. The tournament was reduced to 54 holes after significant rain meant unplayable conditions and washed out play on the Sunday. He was two strokes back at the halfway stage, but birdied holes 15, 16 and 17 on Saturday for a 67 and a one stroke advantage over South African Deane Pappas. After the final round was cancelled, Donald was crowned champion on Monday morning. With this success he became only the 11th rookie in PGA Tour history to earn more than $1 million in his first season.[15]

The 2003 season was less successful for Donald. He played solidly and made 17 of 25 cuts on the PGA Tour, but only two of these were top-10 finishes. He did however finish in a tie for third at the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour in August 2003. In 2004, Donald won the Omega European Masters and the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour. In the same year he was a member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team and also won the WGC-World Cup for England in partnership with Paul Casey. In 2005, Donald made his debut at the Masters Tournament and finished tied for 3rd place. He described his debut at Augusta National as "a great performance – I am very happy with that".[16] Donald rose in the World Rankings from 130th at the turn of the year to 13th in the world in April 2005 after his top-3 finish at the Masters.[16] Later in the year Donald, along with Tom Watson, was one of two players to play with Jack Nicklaus in the final two rounds of golf in his career, at the 2005 Open Championship at Old Course at St Andrews.[17]

In March 2006, Donald won his second U.S. PGA Tour event at the Honda Classic in Florida, a victory which moved him into the top ten of the World Rankings for the first time. Donald finished tied for 3rd at the 2006 PGA Championship. To date, his third-place finishes at the 2006 PGA Championship and at the 2005 Masters are his best performances in major championships. In September 2006, Donald won his singles match 2&1 against Chad Campbell in the 36th Ryder Cup to help ensure Europe won the trophy for the third successive time. Donald also won in the foursomes twice, with Sergio García. Donald took part in three matches in the Ryder Cup that year, winning all of them.

In 2008, Donald sustained an injury to his left wrist at the U.S. Open that forced him to withdraw from the tournament during the final round.[18] His injury resulted in him having a six-month lay-off from competitive golf which meant that he missed out on playing in the Open Championship, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup that year.[19][20] In May 2010, Donald won the Madrid Masters by one shot for his first title in four years.[21] In October 2010, Donald was a member of the European team that won the 2010 Ryder Cup with a one-point win over the USA.[22]

2011: WGC-Accenture Match Play win

[edit]

Donald's biggest win to date came in February 2011 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship when he defeated the German Martin Kaymer 3&2 in the final. During the final, Donald built a three-up lead over the first five holes. However, Kaymer pegged him back and won three of the next four holes meaning the match was all square entering the back-nine. Donald was able to regain his lead with two successive wins at holes 11 and 12, then followed that up with a birdie on hole 15 to re-build his three-up lead with three holes to play. Both players then parred the par-3 16th, ensuring Donald's first World Golf Championship title and the biggest victory of his career.[23]

Donald had been in exceptional form all week and held an unprecedented record of having never trailed at any point during the week. He started the tournament off in fine fashion with a 6&5 win over American Charley Hoffman. In the second round Donald faced fellow Ryder Cup teammate Edoardo Molinari. It was a tight match that went down to the 17th, when Donald holed a birdie putt to seal a 2&1 victory. His third round opponent was another Italian, this time the young 17-year-old Matteo Manassero, who Donald beat 3&2. In the quarter-final on Saturday, he faced American Ryan Moore and won at the 14th with a 5&4 victory. In his semi-final match against Matt Kuchar, Donald was in magnificent form winning 6&5, having found himself seven-up through the first 10 holes.[24]

It was indeed Donald's form on the front-nine all week that took him to this title, as apart from the final when Kaymer came back to square the match, Donald was able to build unassailable leads en route to victory. As a result of this tournament victory, Donald climbed to his highest ever World Ranking position of number three in the world.[citation needed]

Continued 2011 season form and World No.1

[edit]

Donald continued his early-season form at The Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links when he held the lead going into final round with Jim Furyk. With the pressure of knowing that he would become the new world number 1, he shot a one under par 70 to finish tied with American Brandt Snedeker, who fired a 64 (−7). In the playoff, both players birdied the first hole and then parred the second hole. However, at the third extra hole, Donald made bogey when his chip ran narrowly past the outside edge of the hole, giving Snedeker the win with a par.[25]

Donald continued his excellent match play form in May, reaching the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship, which he eventually lost 2&1 to fellow Englishman Ian Poulter. He knew that had he had won this tournament he would have gone to world number one for the first time in his career. Donald had previously beaten Ross Fisher, Charl Schwartzel and Martin Kaymer to reach the final; however, he did not add the Volvo World Match Play title to his WGC-Accenture Match Play title he won earlier in the year.[26] This defeat ended Donald's run of 14 consecutive match play wins.[citation needed]

In May 2011, Donald beat Lee Westwood in a playoff to win the European Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club. This was Donald's fifth victory on the European Tour and in the process achieving one of the game's highest accolades of becoming the world number one. Westwood had entered the tournament as number one in the world and the sudden-death playoff at the end of 72 holes provided a subplot of world numbers one and two contesting for the championship. On the first playoff hole, the par-five 18th, after both laying up with their second shots, Donald played a pitch for his third shot to leave himself a putt of no more than six feet for birdie. Westwood's approach shot to the green spun back into the water hazard. Westwood chipped out from the drop zone and made double bogey, leaving Donald to hole out for a birdie to win the title and become the new world number one.[27] Donald was the third Englishman to hold the number one position in the Official World Golf Ranking since its inception in 1986.

In July 2011, Donald won his first tournament as the world number one at the Barclays Scottish Open, which was held the week before the 2011 Open Championship. He shot a bogey free −9 on Sunday to finish four strokes clear of Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed.[28] The tournament however, was badly affected by heavy rain in the Inverness area, with the course becoming flooded, washing out all of Saturday's play. A decision was taken to reduce the tournament to 54 holes.[citation needed]

Donald finished second at the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, four shots behind winner Adam Scott. He won his fourth title of the year at the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic in October 2011.[29] With the win, he secured the PGA Tour money list title, the Vardon Trophy, the Byron Nelson Award, and the PGA Player of the Year. He later was voted the PGA Tour Player of the Year.[citation needed]

In December, Donald finished third at the Dubai World Championship and therefore secured the European Tour Race to Dubai for 2011, becoming the first golfer to officially claim top rank on both PGA Tour and European Tour money lists in the same year (although if Tiger Woods had ever taken up official membership of the European Tour, he would have also achieved this accolade on a number of occasions).[citation needed]

2012: Battle with McIlroy for No.1 ranking

[edit]

At the first WGC event of the year, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Donald in defence of his title he won in 2011, was eliminated in the opening round by South African Ernie Els who beat him 5&4. He was in danger of being knocked off the top of the world rankings as both Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood progressed to the semi-finals, either would have taken over the top spot by winning the tournament. However, neither could win the title and Donald kept his number one status. However, he did lose his status the following week, after electing not to play at The Honda Classic. McIlroy won the tournament and took over as world number one.

Two weeks later, Donald won the Transitions Championship to reclaim the number one ranking from McIlroy. This was his fifth victory on the PGA Tour and came after a solid week's play culminating in a four-man playoff with Robert Garrigus, Bae Sang-moon and Jim Furyk. Donald had earlier shot a bogey-free round of 66, which included 5 birdies in his first 11 holes to make the playoff. After a loose tee shot found the rough, Donald hit a brilliant seven iron approach to within six feet on the 18th, the first extra hole. Garrigus also knocked his close, while Furyk and Bae left themselves lengthy birdie putts. There had only been 5 birdies all day in regulation play on the 18th and when Furyk, Bae and Garrigus all missed their putts, Donald brushed his in for the victory and the number one ranking.[30]

On 15 April 2012, Donald lost the number one ranking to McIlroy when he failed to finish inside the top 8 at the RBC Heritage. This cut short his second term as the world's number one player, ending after a four-week spell. Donald finished third at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans two weeks later to once again reclaim the number one ranking. He lost the number one spot the following week after McIlroy's runner-up finish at the Wells Fargo Championship.

On 23 May 2012, Donald was awarded honorary life membership of the European Tour in recognition of his achievements in the 2011 season.[31] In the same week, Donald retained his title at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on 27 May 2012, with a four stroke victory over Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie. He shot all four rounds in the 60s, including a final round 68 with five birdies and only one bogey to claim victory. He became only the third player to successfully defend the European Tour's flagship event, alongside Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie. The victory was Donald's seventh title on the European Tour and resulted in a return to World Number One for the fourth time.[32]

Donald missed the cut at the 2012 U.S. Open, finishing +11 with rounds of 79 and 72. In his next major appearance, at the 2012 Open Championship, Donald equalled his best finish at the event of tied 5th. After rounds of 70-68-71, he produced a final round of 68 on a difficult day for scoring to advance up the leaderboard nine places to equal his best finish. On 12 August 2012, McIlroy won the 2012 PGA Championship. Donald finished in a tie for 32nd place at the tournament and again lost the world number one position to the Northern Irishman. In November, Donald won his third tournament of 2012, the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan. In doing so he overtook Tiger Woods and returned to second place in the world rankings.

2013

[edit]
Donald at the Open de France 2013.

In March 2013, as defending champion at the Tampa Bay Championship, Donald finished in a tie for fourth. He missed his first-ever cut in a European Tour event at the Maybank Malaysian Open. It was his first missed cut in 119 career European Tour starts.[33] As the two-time defending champion, Donald then endured the disappointment of missing the halfway cut at the 2013 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth after shooting rounds of 78 and 72, missing the cut by four strokes.[34]

At the 2013 U.S. Open held at Merion Golf Club, Donald was only two shots behind leader Phil Mickelson entering the final round after shooting rounds of 68, 72 and 71. Donald then shot a final round of 75 (+5) to finish in a tie for eighth, recording the first top 10-finish of his career in a U.S. Open tournament. Donald missed the halfway cut at both the 2013 Open Championship and 2013 PGA Championship, marking the first time in his career that he missed cuts at consecutive majors in a single year. In November 2013, Donald defended his title at the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour, cruising to a six shot victory over the field. This was his first win of the 2013 season.[citation needed]

2014

[edit]

Late in 2013, Donald changed from long-time swing coach Pat Goss, to Chuck Cook, who coached Jason Dufner to the 2013 PGA Championship. Donald started the season promisingly, with top-10s in the Honda Classic and the Valspar Championship before missing the cut by one shot at the Masters in April. Just prior to Augusta, Donald had lost a place in the world's top 30 for the first time since 2008. He returned at RBC Heritage, where he held a two-shot lead after 54 holes, only to be narrowly beaten by Matt Kuchar, but he finished 2nd and returned to the world's top 20. Several weeks later, and Donald finished in 38th at The Players Championship. He also tied for third at the BMW PGA Championship in May. He failed to make the European Ryder Cup team after losing out on a wild card pick from captain Paul McGinley. In November, Donald announced that he had switched back to his old coach Pat Goss as he believed that he was not making any progress under Cook after facing the disappointment of missing the Ryder Cup.[citation needed]

2015

[edit]

In the first event of the 2015 European Tour season at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Donald led the tournament after 36 holes after a 63, and again after 54 holes. He was unable to hold onto that lead after 72 holes and had to settle for third place behind Danny Willett and Ross Fisher. Donald had to face sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open for the first time in 11 years due to his fall to 66th in the world ranking. He managed to finish at the top of his qualifier at the Bears Club to seal a spot.[citation needed]

2016

[edit]

In his first 10 events of the 2016 season, Donald failed to record a single top-10 finish and had only one top-25 in this time. This lack of form caused Donald to fail to qualify for the Masters in April, for the first time since 2004, due to falling down to 90th in the World Rankings. The following week, Donald finished in a tie for second place behind Branden Grace at the RBC Heritage. This was the fourth time he had been runner-up at the event, without have yet captured the title. It was also Donald's best PGA Tour result since 2014 at the same event. Donald had held the 54-hole lead by a single stroke, but was beaten by Grace who carded a final round 66 to win by two strokes.[citation needed]

2017

[edit]

In April 2017, Donald finished runner-up at the RBC Heritage, one stroke behind the winner, Wesley Bryan. This was the fifth time that Donald had finished as a runner-up at the event, without ever winning at Harbour Town Golf Links. This moved him to third on the list of players to have runner-up finishes in an event without winning, behind Jack Nicklaus's seven at the Canadian Open and Phil Mickelson's six at the U.S. Open.[35]

In November 2017, Donald was forced to withdraw from the RSM Classic after experiencing chest pains before his first round. Donald was rushed to hospital but was later released. His premature end to the season meant he finished outside the world's top 100 for the first time since his rookie year.[citation needed]

2018

[edit]

During the 2018 PGA Tour season, Donald entered eight tournaments and missed the cut in all but two of them. His best finish was a T37 at the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club. He finished 214th in the season-long FedEx Cup. In April 2018, back pain forced him to take several months off.[36] Donald was granted a major medical exemption for the 2019 PGA Tour season. He had 15 starts to earn 335.891 FedEx Cup points.[37]

European captain Thomas Bjørn named Donald as a vice-captain for the 2018 Ryder Cup.[38] Europe regained the Ryder Cup defeating the U.S. 17 1/2 to 10 1/2 points.[39]

On the European Tour, Donald played in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October 2018 and finished T61. He also played in the Sky Sports British Masters, missing the cut. At the end of 2018 Luke Donald's world ranking had fallen to 609.[40]

2019

[edit]

Donald playing in only his second event of 2019 on his come back from injury, was in contention at the Valspar Championship. He shot rounds of 67-70-70 over the first three rounds to begin the final round, three behind the leader. When he then eagled the first hole, he was temporarily one off the lead, however he struggled during the rest of the final round which resulted in a 73 and T9 finish. This result moved Donald from 919th to 548th in the world rankings. Later in the season, Donald finished T10 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

2020

[edit]

Donald's medical exemption ended in February 2020. He did not meet the terms and used a career earnings exemption for the remainder of the season.[citation needed]

In May 2020, accidentally during an interview, the appointed Ryder Cup captain Pádraig Harrington revealed Donald as his second vice-captain for the 43rd Ryder Cup match, to be played in September 2021, after being postponed one year because of the pandemic.[41][42][43]

2022–23

[edit]

On August 1, 2022, Donald was announced as the captain of the European Ryder Cup team for the 2023 matches in Italy, replacing Henrik Stenson who had been removed from the role due to his decision to join LIV Golf.[44] Europe went on to win the cup 1612–1112.[45]

Use of coaches

[edit]

Donald worked with Pat Goss as coach from his time at Northwestern University until 2013.[46] He added Dave Alred from 2010 to 2012, during which period he reached World Number 1. Donald stopped working with Alred after citing an 'over-analysis' of his game as a factor behind poor performance in the 2012 Majors.[47][48]

Sponsorship

[edit]

Donald signed with sports management company IMG in 2003. In January 2014, Donald left IMG and signed with agency Lagardère Unlimited.[49] He has a multi-year contract with Mizuno Corp. As part of this sponsorship Donald plays with Mizuno Fairway Woods, Irons and Wedges. He also wears his trademark Mizuno visor as part of his sponsorship. It has been reported that he receives $1 million just for wearing his Mizuno visor, and this could quadruple if he wins a major event such as the Masters.[50] Donald also has a sponsorship deal with Jordan, who supply his personal and golf shoes.[51] He formerly had tour sponsorships with Royal Bank of Canada as well as Zurich Insurance.[52][53]

Donald was sponsored by Polo Ralph Lauren for more than a decade but he announced on Twitter on 30 December 2017 that he would no longer be wearing Polo Ralph Lauren RLX on the golf course.[54] On 2 January 2018, Donald announced that he would be sponsored by Greyson Clothiers going forward.[55]

Enterprises

[edit]

In 2007, Luke Donald entered into a partnership with Terlato Wines to create a collection of bespoke wines.[56] The first wine released (in April 2008) was a Claret-style red wine blend and a Carneros Chardonnay was released in spring 2009. Since then, a Viognier (2010) was added to the Luke Donald Collection, produced in the Central Coast of California. The wines reflect Donald's personal interest in and passion for food and wine.[57]

Personal life

[edit]

Donald met his future wife, Chicago native Diane Antonopoulos, while attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.[58][59] He proposed in June 2006, and the couple married on 24 June 2007 in Santorini, Greece.[60] They have three daughters. The couple owns homes in Northfield, Illinois,[1][61] Evanston, Illinois,[3] and Jupiter, Florida.[1]

Donald studied art theory and practice in college, and enjoys painting and drawing when not on tour. In 2002, one of his oil paintings was auctioned by the PGA Tour for charity.[62][63] Donald and his wife are also avid collectors of contemporary art.[64]

His brother Christian Donald caddied for him through to 2009.

Donald's father, Colin Donald, died on 8 November 2011,[65] just three days before the birth of Luke's second daughter, Sophia Ann Grace, on 11 November 2011.[66]

Donald was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to golf.[67]

His third daughter, Georgina, was born on 23 May 2014, while Donald was in England playing the BMW PGA Championship.[citation needed]

Amateur wins

[edit]

this list may be incomplete

Professional wins (17)

[edit]

PGA Tour wins (5)

[edit]
Legend
World Golf Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (4)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 4 Nov 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic 66-68-67=201* −15 1 stroke South Africa Deane Pappas
2 12 Mar 2006 The Honda Classic 72-67-68-69=276 −12 2 strokes Australia Geoff Ogilvy
3 27 Feb 2011 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 3 and 2 Germany Martin Kaymer
4 23 Oct 2011 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic 66-71-70-64=271 −17 2 strokes United States Justin Leonard
5 18 Mar 2012 Transitions Championship 67-68-70-66=271 −13 Playoff South Korea Bae Sang-moon, United States Jim Furyk,
United States Robert Garrigus

*Note: The 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2004 Buick Invitational United States John Daly, United States Chris Riley Daly won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2011 The Heritage United States Brandt Snedeker Lost to par on third extra hole
3 2012 Transitions Championship South Korea Bae Sang-moon, United States Jim Furyk,
United States Robert Garrigus
Won with birdie on first extra hole

European Tour wins (7)

[edit]
Legend
World Golf Championships (1)
Flagship events (2)
Other European Tour (4)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 1 Aug 2004 Scandinavian Masters 69-65-69-69=272 −16 5 strokes Sweden Peter Hanson
2 5 Sep 2004 Omega European Masters 67-67-65-66=265 −19 5 strokes Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez
3 30 May 2010 Madrid Masters 65-67-68-67=267 −21 1 stroke Wales Rhys Davies
4 27 Feb 2011 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 3 and 2 Germany Martin Kaymer
5 29 May 2011 BMW PGA Championship 64-72-72-70=278 −6 Playoff England Lee Westwood
6 10 Jul 2011 Barclays Scottish Open 67-67-63=197* −19 4 strokes Sweden Fredrik Andersson Hed
7 27 May 2012 BMW PGA Championship (2) 68-68-69-68=273 −15 4 strokes Scotland Paul Lawrie, England Justin Rose

*Note: The 2011 Barclays Scottish Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

European Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2011 BMW PGA Championship England Lee Westwood Won with birdie on first extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

[edit]
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 18 Nov 2012 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament 65-64-71-68=268 −16 5 strokes Japan Hideki Matsuyama (a)
2 24 Nov 2013 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2) 73-66-65-66=270 −14 6 strokes South Korea Kim Hyung-sung

Other wins (4)

[edit]
Legend
World Golf Championships (1)
Other wins (3)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 18 Sep 2000 LaSalle Bank Chicago Open
(as an amateur)
68-68-69=205 −8 6 strokes
2 21 Nov 2004 WGC-World Cup
(with England Paul Casey)
61-64-68-64=257 −31 1 stroke  SpainSergio García and Miguel Ángel Jiménez
3 11 Dec 2005 Target World Challenge 72-68-68-64=205 −16 2 strokes Northern Ireland Darren Clarke
4 25 Nov 2007 Gary Player Invitational
(with South Africa Sally Little)
72-70=142 −2 1 stroke Republic of Ireland Mark McNulty and South Africa Omar Sandys

Results in major championships

[edit]
Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament T3 T42 T10 CUT T38
U.S. Open T18 T57 T12 CUT WD CUT
The Open Championship CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT T52 T35 T63 T5
PGA Championship T23 T24 T66 T3 T23 T43
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Masters Tournament CUT T4 T32 T25 CUT CUT
U.S. Open T47 T45 CUT T8 CUT T58 CUT
The Open Championship T11 CUT T5 CUT T64 T12 T43
PGA Championship CUT T8 T32 CUT T40 T43 CUT CUT
Tournament 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship CUT T68
U.S. Open T72
The Open Championship NT
  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

[edit]
Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 1 2 3 4 11 7
PGA Championship 0 0 1 1 2 5 16 11
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 1 3 14 8
The Open Championship 0 0 0 2 2 4 16 9
Totals 0 0 2 5 8 16 57 35

Results in The Players Championship

[edit]
Tournament 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
The Players Championship CUT CUT T2 CUT T16 T27 T37 T26 T4 6 T19 T38 CUT CUT CUT
  Top 10

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

World Golf Championships

[edit]

Wins (1)

[edit]
Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2011 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship n/a 3 and 2 Germany Martin Kaymer

Results timeline

[edit]

Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.

Tournament 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Championship T11 T11 T6 T26 T20 T20 T26 T6 T6 T43 T25 T49
Match Play R16 R16 R32 R32 R16 R16 1 R64 R32 R64
Invitational T16 T6 T8 T22 T45 T46 T2 T8 T9 T50
Champions T3 T18 T31 T41 T40
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Career earnings and year-end ranking by year

[edit]
Season PGA Tour ($) Rank[68] European
Tour (€)[69]
Rank OWGR
Avg. points Rank
2001 80,747 n/a† 0.14 590
2002 1,088,205 58 76,877 n/a† 1.53 94
2003 705,121 90 165,079 115 1.11 130
2004 1,646,268 35 1,037,279 20 3.05 26
2005 2,480,562 17 1,397,385 12 4.41 13
2006 3,177,408 9 1,658,060 7 5.25 9
2007 2,190,053 29 775,093 38 3.95 17
2008 1,456,650 67 407,962 n/a† 2.81 31
2009 2,174,947 33 617,649 55 3.09 28
2010 3,665,234 7 1,678,072 15 5.65 9
2011 6,683,214 1 5,323,400 1 10.03 1
2012 3,512,024 14 2,373,540 7 8.62 2
2013 1,930,646 36 745,154 43 4.76 17
2014 1,451,440 72 724,192 38 2.99 33
2015 1,026,643 99 1,059,212 33 1.87 77
2016 1,634,515 63 114,390 154 1.72 81
2017 958,850 105 156,920 258 1.17 140
2018 81,989 218 8,879 n/a 0.26 609
2019 285,630 191 96,295 n/a 0.39 431
2020 232,875 182 0 n/a 0.28 499
2021 333,336 182 0
Total* 36,796,359 25[70] 16,502,254 24

*As of 1 September 2021
†Non-member earnings.

Team appearances

[edit]

Amateur

Professional

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Luke Donald: Golf: Northwestern Magazine – Northwestern University". 20 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "Golfer Donald buys Evanston condo – tribunedigital-chicagotribune". 20 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ a b "A look at Luke Donald at home in Chicago: – Chicago Golf Guy". 20 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Week 22 2011 Ending 29 May 2011" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Luke Donald seals US and European double". BBC Sport. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  6. ^ "World Golf Rankings – Top 100 – Current #1: Jason Day".
  7. ^ "Luke Donald honored by Queen". ESPN. Associated Press. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  8. ^ a b Lowe, Douglas (4 October 2009). "Donald pays homage to his Scottish links". Sunday Herald. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  9. ^ Mair, Lewine (13 July 2005). "Donald makes a positive of plodder reputation". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Former Northwestern Star Tees It Up on Tour". Northwestern Magazine. Summer 2004. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  11. ^ Luke Donald biodata at Golf Digest
  12. ^ "Luke Donald profile". ESPN. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  13. ^ "David Lipsky Bio". Nusports.Com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  14. ^ "Donald Rolls to 6 Shot Chicago Open Victory". Chicago Tribune, 17 September 2000. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  15. ^ "Section 6: All-Time Records". 2007 PGA Tour Media Guide. PGA Tour. pp. 6–10. First-year players to win $1 million or more
  16. ^ a b Garrod, Mark (12 April 2005). "Creditable Masters debut for Donald". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  17. ^ Harig, Bob (4 June 2009). "Donald shares bond with host Nicklaus". ESPN. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  18. ^ "Injured Donald quits in La Jolla". BBC News. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  19. ^ Reason, Mark (4 December 2008). "Luke Donald eases his way back after long injury lay-off". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  20. ^ Whyte, Patrick (12 August 2008). "Injury forces Luke Donald out of Ryder Cup". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  21. ^ "Luke Donald pips Rhys Davies to Madrid Masters title". BBC Sport. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  22. ^ "McDowell Lifts Europe to Ryder Cup Victory". The New York Times. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  23. ^ "England's Luke Donald wins Accenture Match Play Championship as world No1 Martin Kaymer falls short". The Daily Telegraph. London. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  24. ^ "Luke Donald beats Martin Kaymer in WGC Match Play final". BBC Sport. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  25. ^ "Luke Donald misses out on chance to become new world number one". BBC Sport. 24 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  26. ^ "Donald defeated by Poulter in Volvo World Match Play Final". European Tour. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  27. ^ "Luke Donald wins the BMW PGA Championship and becomes new world number one". BBC Sport. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  28. ^ "Donald wins Barclays Scottish Open week before the Open Championship". BBC Sport. 10 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  29. ^ "Luke Donald wins US money list with Disney Classic victory". BBC Sport. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  30. ^ "Donald wins Transitions and regains World No. 1". European Tour. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  31. ^ "Donald rewarded with life membership on the European Tour". PGA Tour. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  32. ^ "Donald retains BMW PGA Championship and returns to Number One". European Tour. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  33. ^ Lavner, Ryan (23 March 2013). "Donald misses first-ever cut in Euro Tour event". Golf Channel. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  34. ^ "Molinari carves out narrow advantage". PGA European Tour. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  35. ^ Everill, Ben (16 April 2017). "Bryan finishes strong, cards first Tour victory". PGA Tour.
  36. ^ "Former No. 1 Luke Donald taking time off to let ailing back heal". ESPN. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  37. ^ Bolton, Rob (28 September 2018). "2018-19 PGA Tour full-membership fantasy rankings: 101-150". PGA Tour. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  38. ^ Corrigan, James (22 May 2018). "Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell take surprise Ryder Cup Vice-Captain Roles". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  39. ^ "Europe wins back Ryder Cup, beating US 17 1/2-10 1/2". Associated Press News. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  40. ^ "Luke Donald". OWGR. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Ryder Cup: Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer named as European vice-captains". BBC Sport. 23 June 2021.
  42. ^ "Ryder Cup: Henrik Stenson named Europe's fifth and final vice-captain". BBC Sport. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  43. ^ Porter, Kyle (8 July 2020). "Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits postponed to 2021, Presidents Cup to 2022 amid coronavirus pandemic". CBS Sports. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  44. ^ Carter, Iain (1 August 2022). "Ryder Cup: Luke Donald named Europe captain, replacing Henrik Stenson". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  45. ^ Scrivener, Peter (1 October 2023). "Europe regain Ryder Cup with win over United States on dramatic day in Rome". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  46. ^ "The Professional Golf Tour Training College". Protourgolfcollege.com. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  47. ^ "Dave Alred lifts the lid on his time coaching Luke Donald". nationalclubgolfer.com. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  48. ^ Walsh, David (29 July 2018). "When the guru Dave Alred met golfer Francesco Molinari". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  49. ^ Lesley, Chris (15 January 2014). "Luke Donald Moves From IMG Worldwide To Lagardère". Sports Agent Blog. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  50. ^ "Luke Donald extends contract with Mizuno as brand ambassador". Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
  51. ^ Tursky, Andrew (6 February 2018). "Luke Donald announces he will be wearing Jordan golf shoes". Golf WRX. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  52. ^ Smith, Michael (23 April 2012). "Players' period attire marks Zurich's 100 years". Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  53. ^ "Luke Donald, Morgan Pressel and Fred Couples join Team RBC". RBC.com. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  54. ^ "@LukeDonald on Twitter". 30 December 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  55. ^ "@LukeDonald on Twitter". 2 January 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  56. ^ "Luke Donald Collection: Overview – Terlato Wines International".
  57. ^ "Drink of the Week – Luke Donald 09' Claret – Busted Wallet". 21 November 2012.
  58. ^ Golf: Donald McRae Interviews Luke Donald[usurped]
  59. ^ "Luke Donald Makes Chicago His Home". 20 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  60. ^ "Page Not Found – Mizuno USA". Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  61. ^ "Luke Donald's Diary" 12/18/08 Archived 5 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  62. ^ "Luke Donald Painting to be Auctioned on PGATour.com Web Site". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011.
  63. ^ The 2008 Masters interview with Luke Donald Archived 23 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  64. ^ "My Picks: Luke Donald". Golfweek. 24 March 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  65. ^ Collins, Michael (11 November 2011). "Luke Donald's father dies suddenly". ESPN. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  66. ^ "Luke Donald celebrates birth of daughter on 11/11/11". Golfing World. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  67. ^ "No. 60173". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2012. p. 15.
  68. ^ "Official Money". PGA Tour. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  69. ^ "Luke Donald – Career Record Details". European Tour.
  70. ^ "Career Money Leaders". PGA Tour. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  71. ^ "European Boys' Team Championship – European Golf Association". 19 October 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  72. ^ "EGA Events, Results, European Team Championships, European Youths' Team Championship". European Golf Association. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  73. ^ "European Amateur Team Championship". European Golf Association. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
[edit]