Dream is alive as Donaldson delivers again
RYDER CUP HERO LEADS IN DESERT
WHEN you have clinched the winning point at a Ryder Cup and won tournaments in Ireland and Abu Dhabi, you might think fourth place in a middling European Tour event would hardly bear comparison.
That, however, does not take into account the pressure on Jamie Donaldson last October when he turned up at Valderrama for the Andalucia Masters. As he put it: ‘It was all or nothing. I had to deliver or spend this season selling hot dogs.’
It is a characteristic of the 42-yearold Welshman that he delivers when nothing else will do. ‘I don’t know why, the mental process makes it work out that way,’ he said.
‘Valderrama’s a hard course to score on so, yeah, I was buzzing at the end. That week ranks up there with the best of them.’
Fourth place lifted Donaldson to 99th in the Race to Dubai — the top 100 kept their cards — and he celebrated by falling fully-clothed as if poleaxed into a swimming pool. Now he has come back up for air and is hell-bent on getting his career back on track.
Following up a first-round 62 is never easy but Donaldson made a pretty good fist of it with a 69 to lead after the second day of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
A three-hour fog delay meant many did not finish, including favourite Rory McIlroy, so Donaldson may not lead after completion of the second round this morning.
One thing guaranteed is that he will be in one of the final groups for the third round while trying to recall what it is like to be in contention at a big event at the weekend.
‘I’ve still got plenty of dreams and while I don’t want to talk about them, you can be sure I still aim high,’ he said. ‘I need to win a big event like this one and then that changes everything. Suddenly, you’re getting into the majors and WGCs (World Golf Championships). That’s what needs to happen to have a chance of fulfilling my ambitions.’
His week began with a practice round alongside three men with no worries about getting into elite events — Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Ross Fisher.
‘To hold my own alongside them really helped me going into this event,’ said Donaldson.
He was also aided by a couple of sessions with Southport putting wizard Phil Kenyon, who has done so much for McIlroy, Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
McIlroy did not make it on to the course until 3.15pm but immediately started playing like a man expecting to be holding the trophy tomorrow. He picked up three shots in the first six holes to move within three of Donaldson, before notching his first bogey at the eighth .
The Northern Irishman picked up a shot at the 10th and starts this morning on the 12th, three adrift. Fleetwood is eight back with eight to play.