Play Better Golf

With Niall McGill

Scott Donaldson is longing for the day that crowds return.

He is grateful to still be playing, absolutely. But pulling the cue out and taking to the table in empty halls just is not the same.

Professional snooker continues to operate with no fans perched in the stands due to coronavirus restrictions.

Perth potter Donaldson cannot wait to see them back.

“It’s not easy,” he explained to the PA. “There is just no atmosphere whatsoever when you’re out there.

“It’s a very strange feeling and you need to try focus as much as you can. It’s hard for everybody. Very hard.

“Listen, you play the balls. So from a players’ perspective nothing has really changed that much.

“But the pressure doesn’t seem as intense as it would when a crowd is there giving you abuse, so to speak. I like a crowd.

“The concentration levels are always higher with a crowd for some reason. I don’t know why, probably subconscious.

“I’m not going to blame any of my results on it. It’s been up and down for me. It always has been through my career.”

Donaldson secured a landmark Championship League victory in March last year, shortly before the first lockdown.

Tournament action was then paused after an appearance at the Gibraltar Open.

“I had a lot of time on my hands to practice because there were no tournaments,” explained Donaldson, who plays in the Pro Series this week.

“I tinkered with a few things technically but didn’t really like them. I went back to where I was before.

“I feel I’m playing quite well again so will just see how the next year goes.

“I just want to make sure that I’m working hard on my game.

“It’s always been quite streaky for me.

“I’ve been good for a few months then bad for a few months. Hopefully there are more good ones to come.

“For the first part of my career, I thought I was doing alright. But I’ve started to show what I’m capable of.

“If I can keep doing that, I’ll be happy. I enjoy just being out in the arena and playing well.”

There has been a reduced calendar to plan for in recent months and Donaldson has competed in events including the German Masters, Scottish Open and UK Championship.

On the horizon are both the Welsh Open and then, in April, the World Championships is scheduled to take place.

Snooker fans were glued to the television on Sunday evening to watch 20-yearold Yan Bingtao win the 2021 Masters, defeating Scot John Higgins 10-8 in the final.

The top 16 ranked players in the world were invited to play in the tournament.

Donaldson, who was not far off with his current ranking of 24, remembers coming up against Bingtao a few years back.

Even then there was a realisation that the Chinese player was a star in the making.

“I’m delighted for Yan,” Donaldson explained to the PA. “He is a lovely guy and I get on really well with him.

“He plays snooker to a really high level and I’ve seen that for a long time. I played him about three or four years ago.

“He was only 16 at the time and he beat me 4-3. Even then I knew he was going to be a real class player.

“It was evident that he was going to go really far. He’s very composed. I was gutted for John because he had a few chances, but he’ll be back.”