Jamie’s wedge is top of the shots
JAMIE Donaldson has won the European Tour’s shot of the year award for the wedge shot that clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe.
The Macclesfield-based star had his best year in the game in 2014, not least when he hit a wondrous approach in the Ryder Cup.
On the 15th hole at Gleneagles, the 39-yearold marked his first appearance in the competition by securing Europe’s victory with a win in his singles match against Keegan Bradley.
Though he’d performed solidly throughout the weekend, he’d missed a putt to win on the 14th but put that behind him with a second shot at 15, nearly 150 yards from the pin, a shot which came to rest inches from the cup and prompt Bradley to offer his hand in defeat.
“I said at the time I’d just hit the shot of my life, given the circumstances,” Donaldson said. “I was just telling myself to stay calm, keep doing what I’ve been doing and ignore what’s going on around. But it’s impossible.
“I hit a great drive down 15, had 146 yards to the pin and it was perfect for a wedge. When I hit it, I knew. I’ll never get tired of talking about it. It was such an amazing moment.”
The award, decided by a public vote, saw Donaldson receive almost a third of the votes cast.
South African
It was such an amazing moment
Charl Schwartzel was second with a recovery shot, and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson – a Ryder Cup team-mate of Donaldson’s – was third with his escape from a tricky lie at the foot of a cactus.
Donaldson got his 2015 competition play under way with joint-ninth in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
He’d hit a brilliant 65 on Saturday but couldn’t follow it up the following day with four birdies and two bogeys on the front nine but straight pars all the way in to register 70 and finish 13 under par and in tied ninth spot.
At the top of the leaderboard, Martin Kaymer saw his eight-shot lead dissipate over his last 14 holes, eventually finishing third behind world number 357 Gary Stal and runner-up Rory McIlory.