Time to Shine

They're six of the best active players to have never won a major. Who of these can follow in the footsteps of the last three US Open champions – Lucas Glover, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy – and make the tournament their breakthrough success?

Luke Donald

The most consistent player on the planet for the past two years, world No 1 Luke Donald has transformed himself from a good player who picked up a hatful of top 10s into a winning machine. With two victories already this season – including a successful title defence at the European Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – Donald appears poised to break his major duck.

What we like: Pretty much everything. Donald makes up for his relative lack of length with a laser-like iron game and he is arguably one of the best par putters in the sport. Perhaps his greatest strength is the fact he makes so few mistakes; in 2011 he went an incredible 449 holes without three-putting.

What's stopping him: The weight of expectation. He's received unwarranted grief for being a major-less world No 1, which he has handled admirably, but you have to wonder if he has the mental fortitude to close the deal when he next gets in contention.

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Written by Alex Jenkins

Photography by AFP

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