Third time lucky Luke?
He may have missed the second half of the season through injury, but Luke Donald would not
have accepted a late invitation for a long migration south if he didn’t believe he
had a realistic shot at victory.
The Nedbank Golf Challenge has had a habit in the past of presenting an opportunity to an
unlikely title winner, who goes on to take full advantage.
Think of Fulton Allem, who was invited in 1988 ahead of the more in-form John Bland and
whose invitation sparked some media and public controversy. His response was to go and win
the event to silence the detractors in the most emphatic fashion.
Then think to just a year ago, when Trevor Immelman received a late call-up to the
event in place of Sergio Garcia, who withdrew due to personal reasons. Immelman put down
an early marker before fighting – and winning – a famous 72-hole duel with
Justin Rose. Since that victory against an elite field, he has gone on to claim his first
major title.
So what might lie in store for England’s Luke Donald, a past visitor to Sun City
and a ball-striker of exceptional quality, who received an 11th hour invitation following
the withdrawal of American sensation Anthony Kim due to injury?
In his two previous visits to Sun City, Donald has certainly put together enough low
rounds at the Gary Player Country Club to suggest that he has the ability to win,
especially if the course is playing tough and scoring is relatively high.
With the rough likely to be particularly penal this year after plentiful rains in the
region, his accuracy will be a factor, but it is excellent putting – at 27.8 he
averages 1.5 putts less per round than the PGA Tour average – that should stand him
in the best stead.
Indeed, the biggest question mark around this consistent performer will be his
‘match fitness’ and whether he will be able to play himself into form at short
notice. This will be his first tournament back after a long lay-off due to injury and the
main question mark around his potential success will be whether he has the required
sharpness – both mentally and physically – to compete at this level with
relatively little preparation time.
Before the call came to make his third appearance in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Donald
was planning a trip to Tiger Woods’ invitational tournament, The Target World
Challenge, two weeks later which would have been his first tournament since undergoing
surgery to his left wrist on 11 August.
Obviously hungry for competitive action after the frustrations of being sidelined from
both the FedEx Cup climax in the USA and what would have been sure selection to
Europe’s Ryder Cup team, Donald was only too happy to get another opportunity at the
time of year when professionals hardly get to play golf without invitations!
Before the injury to his wrist – incurred during the final round of the US Open at
Torrey Pines, from which he had to withdraw – Donald had made a characteristically
solid start to his PGA Tour campaign, notching up three top-10 finishes from 11 starts and
banking more than $1 million in the process.
This has been the fifth consecutive year on tour in which Donald has earned $1 million
in prize-money and he has amassed almost $13 million in his seven years on tour to date,
from a schedule that is by no means overloaded.
His closest brush with victory this year came at the Honda Classic, where he shared the
54-hole lead with Ernie Els and proceeded to have an epic duel with the Big Easy over the
final round. His birdie chip at the 72nd hole slipped agonisingly past the hole and left
him a single shot behind the South African.
When he turned professional and joined the PGA Tour in 2002, the quietly spoken
Englishman had certainly built the type of amateur pedigree to suggest that he would be a
success in the paid ranks.
His years at university in America – he attended Northwestern – were not all
about golf, although he was a three-time All-America collegiate player from 1999 to 2001
and won the individual NCAA title in 1999. He studied for a degree in art theory and
practice and has not lost his passion for fine art, being an accomplished painter himself.
His year of college golf in 1999 was about as perfect as it gets, as he added the Fred
Haskins award for the top collegiate player and the Jack Nicklaus Award as the college
men’s player of the year to his impressive CV.
The latter title earned him an invitation to Nicklaus’ Memorial event on the PGA
Tour the following year, and a cut made there as an amateur gave him an enticing taste of
what was to come as a professional.
With two PGA Tour wins under his belt, his world ranking improved consistently over his
first three years and it was only a matter of time before his first invitation to Sun City
arrived in 2005. Observing a fifth place finish in the record books would suggest a
satisfactory if unsatisfactory debut, but it was way more exciting than that.
In one of the most dramatic ever climaxes to the event, Donald missed out by a single
stroke on a multiple-man playoff that included Jim Furyk, the eventual winner, Darren
Clarke, Retief Goosen and Adam Scott.
His total of five-under par 283 was exactly the 72-hole total he posted on his second
visit last year, but it was only good enough for tied sixth place and some distance off
the pace set by Trevor Immelman and Justin Rose, a good friend on tour.
Donald and his brother Chris – who has been his long-time caddie – have
always enjoyed the atmosphere and big-event feel of the Nedbank Golf Challenge and we
should expect nothing less than for him to take full advantage of his belated shot at
glory.
Oh, and just another little omen…Donald celebrates his birthday on the final day
of the tournament. Could there be a better birthday-cum-early Christmas present than the
famous crystal golf ball trophy and a cheque for $1.2 million?
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