ABU DHABI, January 25, 2012 (AFP) - Luke Donald starts the year as world number one for the first time, but top of his wish-list for the next 12 months is to finally win a major.
The 34-year-old Englishman had an outstanding 2011, when his remarkable consistency allowed him to become the first player to top both the US and European tours in the same year -- a feat previously thought to be all but inaccessible.
But, as he has readily admitted himself, there will always be an asterisk against his achievement until he wins a major.
Donald did have top-10 finishes at the Masters and the US PGA, but he was never in contention at the US Open and failed to even make the cut at the British Open.
He knows he can and must do better in the big ones to counter the charges that he does not deserve to be ranked top player in the world.
"Obviously the goal every year is to try and win the biggest events and those are the majors," he said.
"Obviously having had a year like I did last year, I did everything but win a major in a way.
"That would be the top of my goals -- to try and win a major. But to do that you have to put yourself in contention."
Donald will open his season here this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship after a five-week winter break, during which he did not touch a golf club for the first three weeks.
But he has been practising hard for the last couple of weeks "trying to get my swing a little bit more solid, especially with the longer clubs and create a bit more consistency".
Donald also confirmed that despite his great play of last year, he has decided to have a change of clubs in his never-ending quest for perfection.
"Throughout my career, I've always changed clubs. When I've tried something that I think is better, then I've changed," he said.
"This is a great week to at least try some new stuff under pressure.
"Sometimes it's good to put in new equipment now and again. It gives you a little bit of a spark.
"You feel good about it just because it's new. We'll see how it plays out, but certainly I'm excited about some of the changes."
Whatever happens, it will not be a quiet start to the year for Donald, who has been paired with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy for the first two rounds.
It will be the first time he has played with the crowd-pulling American for some time, but with the experience he has accrued over the years, he is confident he can deal with the added pressure.
"Obviously with Tiger, it's not just playing with Tiger. It's the fact that he brings a bigger crowd. There's a little bit more of an atmosphere. You're going to feel a little bit differently," he said.
"But I have played with him quite a few times in the past and that feeling of feeling intimidated certainly dissipates."