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Brush With Greatness
Luke Donald is ready to break through Unlike many of the bright young things on Tour, Luke Donald, 29, favors an old-school, my-clubs-will-do-the-talking-thank-you-very-much approach. His game is steady, but he lacks the palpable blood thirst of Sergio Garcia, the polished grace of Adam Scott or the wayward wackiness of Ian Poulter. Donald, who paints as a pastime, is a more subdued pastel to the primary-color boldness of his peers. Currently ranked 13th in the world, Donald’s rise has been steady if unspectacular. The upside to that is there’s potential for a sudden explosion of dramatic fireworks, and the affable Chicago-based Brit has everything he needs to make that happen.
So do you feel like the "potential" period is over and now it’s time to win a major? Absolutely. I’ve had four years out here. My goals aren’t just to show up and have a good week. I want to win. I might not be the best player every day, but on any given day I can be the best. You averaged 284.5 yards per drive in 2005, yet some people insist you’re a short hitter. Does that rub you the wrong way? Some of people brand me as a short hitter. I don’t think I’m short. I’m average on Tour. When I’m swinging well, I can hold my own against most players who wouldn’t be considered short. No player likes to be called short. I got tagged as a short hitter, and I don’t think that’s true. How did it feel to play with Jack Nicklaus at St. Andrews in the final major championship round of his career, with Tom Watson no less? It was a great thrill and a great honor. What was your initial reaction to hearing the news? I thought, "Wow, this is going to be hard in a way with the crowds and the media attention around me. To be a part of what might be Jack’s last few rounds, I knew it was going to be fun, but I also knew it was going to be hard. Was it tough to stay focused when it would’ve been easy to fall into the role of a fan? I was a bit nervous the first couple of holes during the first round. But I knew both gentlemen reasonably well. They’re both very easygoing on the course. The first round felt like we were playing a late Sunday afternoon round together, just having fun. There just happened to be 100,000 people watching us. I felt very relaxed with those two guys. I didn’t feel like I was competing against them, even though they both made birdie on the first hole. I was like, "Wow, these guys came to play." Did you come close to losing it? Sure. There was so much emotion out there. I started to well up a little bit and held it back. Those last two holes, 17 and 18, were very tough. The roars got louder and the crowds kept building and building. No matter where you looked, people were watching. All the players on the surrounding greens were watching. It probably took 35 or 40 minutes to finish.
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