Some years ago, an American writer came up with the term "Luke Donald Disease" to describe what he felt was a talented British golfer who was cashing cheques thanks to solid performances but who didn't have the stomach or the drive to compete with the best in the game. It was an affliction, he reckoned. Here was an underachiever, a multi-millionaire before he had turned 30 but one who lacked the desire to make it to the really big time.
"Thanks for the cameo, thanks for the cheque," he wrote after watching Donald finish an Open Championship in the top five. "Now back to the States for more of the same."
That writer is no longer involved with golf, whereas Donald, now 33, has reached the summit of the world rankings. In normal circumstances that fact alone would be enough to put an end to the story. But the media's coverage of professional golf since Tiger Woods took an extended break following a run-in with a tree on a quiet November's evening two years ago has been far from normal. Indeed, Donald's ascension to the number one spot has been met with hostility in some quarters. "As it stands right now, Donald's primary rival for least-deserving world No. 1 is fellow Englishman Lee Westwood," screamed one US newspaper in May.
While it is certainly true that both Donald and Westwood, his predecessor, are without a major title to their name, the accusation that the former is undeserving of his current status is downright ludicrous.
The flak that Donald has received is largely down to three factors: Tiger Woods' 600-plus week reign as the best player in the universe, the American media's disinterest of the European Tour and, most weirdly of all, the way Donald goes about his game.
Donald, you see, isn't cut from the same cloth as Tiger, Phil or even Westwood. He's a plodder, a master tactician, one who has exceptional control with his irons and an unbeatable short game. He doesn't smash the ball 340-yards off the tee; in fact, his average driving distance on the PGA Tour this year is a humble 282.6 yards, which places him 163rd in those particular rankings and means he's giving up nearly 40 yards to Bubba Watson. But it's in the rather more important statistical departments where Donald rules the roost. Who has the best final round scoring average on the PGA Tour? Who has the best scrambling stats? Who has the most top 10s of the year? The answer is one and the same: Donald.
The accusation that has been levelled at Donald almost constantly over the past decade is that he doesn't win enough. There is, I concede, some truth in the matter – the Englishman has only seven tour titles to his name, which is less than Tiger Woods, at his prime, won per season. But here's the thing: Tiger hasn't won – or even looked like winning – for two years, while Donald has picked up four victories in that time. This year alone he has won the WGC-Accenture Match Play, where he defeated the then No. 1 Martin Kaymer in the final, and then followed that up by disposing of the next No. 1, Westwood, in a play-off for the BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour's flagship event. In between the two events, Donald very nearly won the Masters, outdone only by the width of the 18th pin and Charl Schwartzel's brilliance down the closing stretch. He has a killer's instinct, too; one look at his Ryder Cup record, which reads eight wins and a half from 11 matches, tells you that. The Ryder Cup is arguably the most pressure-packed event in golf and Donald has the best win-loss percentage in the biennial event's long and rich history. He is also, lest we forget, leading the European Tour's Race to Dubai by nearly US$2 million from his nearest challenge and is currently heading the PGA Tour's Total Money category (if not FedEx Cup standings). Nobody has ever won both tours' money lists. Ever. Donald is in prime position to do so. Doesn't that say something about the man?
The problem the critics have is that they're too major-centric. But the assumption that only major winners can be considered as worthy contenders for the numero uno position is flawed. 2011 has been a brilliant year as far as golf's biggest events are concerned, but honestly, even those deeply rooted in the anti-Donald camp would have a hard time arguing that either Darren Clarke or Keegan Bradley is the best golfer on the planet. Schwartzel has followed up his Augusta triumph with some solid performances, but he's still nowhere as consistent as his undoubted talent deserves and is currently languishing outside the world's top 10. As for Rory McIlroy, who in many people's eyes is the natural successor to Tiger's mantle: he might have won the US Open in quite brilliant fashion, but he still only has three professional victories to his credit and, outside of Congressional, has looked decidedly shaky with the flatstick. Can the best player in the world be an inconsistent putter? Maybe.
But McIlroy, who is arguably the greatest ball striker in the game today, still has some way to go before he is the finished article.
Certainly Donald's peers seem in full accord with his position at the top of the rankings.
"He totally deserves it," said Hunter Mahan, shortly after Donald had won the BMW PGA Championship."Nobody has been better."
Schwartzel, who is as straightforward a man as you could ever wish to meet, is typically forthright. "He didn't become the No. 1 just by finishing in the top 10. He went out and beat the best player in the world at that stage."
Jack Nicklaus, too, has indicated his approval. "There isn't anyone working on his golf game than I've seen in Luke Donald. He's a heck of a player and he's been rewarded for it. I'm very happy for him."
But what does the man himself think of it all? Donald, who was born in the English Home Counties but who studied Art at Northwestern University in Chicago and is married to an American, is not the kind of chap that is easily riled. He's certainly not boring – as some would have it – rather, much like his game, he measures his words carefully.
"I kept thinking I had the ability and talent [to be No.1] Whether it will change me, I don't think so. The goal for me is to always continue to focus on the processes of getting better, and just because I have reached the pinnacle of the world rankings doesn't mean my work is done. I've got my own agenda, and I'm working towards winning, and winning as much as I can, and winning majors."
And who's to say he won't do exactly that. He certainly has all the attributes – attributes that already make him the best player in the game right now.
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