Donald’s last of the giantkillers

WHATEVER happens to Luke Donald now that he has turned 40, he can always look back on his time as world No 1, when he kicked sand in the faces of the mighty hitters who dominate the rankings. In a tribute to Donald, who in 2011 and 2012 held top spot for 56 weeks despite being ranked 165th in driving distance, one of America’s top golf writers called him ‘the last of his kind’. ‘We do live in an age where people hit the ball so far, and I don’t think many people believed it would be possible to get to the top and stay there for a significant amount of time as a medium-sized hitter,’ said Donald, who shot rounds of 72 and 71 to be tied 51st at halfway in the Genesis Open. ‘So yeah, it gives me a lot of pride to look back and say I did it my way. It wasn’t easy, but I found a way round it.’

Of today’s top 10, only Jordan Spieth would not be classed as a long hitter — and even he averages almost 300 yards from the tee.

So, how did Donald pull off his wizard’s trick? ‘The magic formula is to gain two strokes on the field per round,’ he said. ‘Because I don’t hit it 300 yards, I was losing 1.5 strokes on the field on driving, meaning I had to pick up 3.5 strokes in other areas of my game, which is almost impossible. But that’s how good my iron play, putting, bunker play and wedge play were at that time.’

Donald has fallen outside the top 150, partly because it is impossible to maintain such a short-game standard but also because his priorities have shifted. ‘I don’t beat myself up as much anymore when I’m not playing well because it’s secondary to watching my family grow,’ said Donald, who has three young children. ‘But the competitiveness is just as strong as it was. I’d like to be get back into the top 50, and I’ll keep doing this for a few more years.’