Luke Donald life and biography

Luke Campbell Donald is a British professional golfer who is the current World Number One. He plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but, is also a member of the European Tour.

Career:
Donald's biggest win to date came in February 2011 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship when he defeated the German and subsequent world number one Martin Kaymer 3&2 in the final. During the final, Donald built a three-up lead over the first five holes, however Kaymer pegged him back and won three of the next four holes meaning the match was all square entering the back nine. Donald was able to regain his lead with two successive wins at holes 11 and 12, then followed that up with a birdie on hole 15 to re-build his three-up lead with three holes to play. Both players then parred the par three 16th ensuring Donald's first World Golf Championship title and biggest victory of his career.

Donald had been in exceptional form all week and held an unprecedented record of having never trailed at any point during the week. He started the tournament off in fine fashion with thumping 6&5 win over American Charley Hoffman. The second round was much more competitive and his toughest test all week when he faced fellow Ryder Cup team mate Edoardo Molinari. It was a tight match that went down to the 17th, when Donald would win the hole with a birdie to seal a 2&1 victory. His third round opponent was another Italian, this time the young 17 year old Matteo Manassero, however Donald effectively won this by the time the pair reached the 10th hole with a five-up lead. The Italian fought back on the back nine winning two holes off Donald but it was all in vain as Manaserro went down 3&2. In the quarter final on Saturday, he faced American Ryan Moore and Donald again found himself five-up at the 10th hole, but this time finishing it off at the 14th with a 5&4 victory. Later that Saturday his semi final opponent was another United States player in Matt Kuchar, but Donald was in scintillating form, crushing Kuchar 6&5, having found himself seven-up through the first 10 holes.
It was indeed Donald's form on the front nine all week that took him to this title, as apart from the final when Kaymer clawed it back, Donald was able to build unassailable leads on route to victory. As a result of this tournament win, Donald climbed to his highest ever World Ranking position of World Number Three.

Donald continued his early season form at The Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links when he held the lead going into final round with Jim Furyk. With the pressure of knowing that he would become the new world number 1 he shot a 70 one under round to finish tied with American Brandt Snedeker who fired a quite brilliant 64 seven under par round. In the playoff, both players birdied and then parred the first two extra holes, however at the third extra hole Donald made bogey when his chip ran narrowly passed the outside edge of the hole giving Snedeker the win with a par.

Donald continued his excellent match play form in May reaching the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship which he eventually lost 2&1 to fellow Englishman Ian Poulter. He knew that had he had won this tournament he would have gone to world number one for the first time in his career. Donald had previously beaten Ross Fisher, Charl Schwartzel and Martin Kaymer to reach the final, however he could not go on to add the Volvo World Match Play title to his WGC-Accenture Match Play title he won earlier in the year. This defeat ended Donald's run of 14 consecutive match play wins.

In May 2011, Donald's run of form continued when he beat Lee Westwood in a playoff to win the European Tour's flagship event the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club. This was Donald's fifth victory on the European Tour and in the process achieving one of the games highest accolades of becoming the world number one. Westwood had entered the tournament as the number one and the end of tournament playoff provided a subplot of world numbers one and two contesting for the championship. On the first playoff hole, the par five 18th, after both laying up with their second shots, Donald played a majestic pitch to leave himself no more than six feet for birdie. Westwood attempted to follow him in but got too much backspin on his approach and it spun back into the water hazard. Westwood eventually chipped out from the drop zone and made double bogey leaving Donald to hole out for birdie winning the title and becoming the new world number one. Donald is only the 15th player ever to hold the world number one position and only the third Englishman to achieve this feat

In July 2011 Donald won his first tournament as the world number one at the Barclays Scottish Open, which was held the week before The 2011 Open Championship. He shot a bogey free −9 on Sunday to finish four strokes clear of Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed. The tournament however, was badly affected by heavy rain in the Inverness area, with the course becoming flooded, washing out all of Saturday's play. The decision was made to reduce the tournament to 54 holes as many of the players required Monday as a preparation day ahead of The Open Championship.

Donald finished second at the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, four shots behind winner Adam Scott.

2000-01:
Northwestern's Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient ... One of 10 nominees for the AAU's prestigious Sullivan Award (amateur athlete of the year) ... Won second-straight Big Ten individual title, also leading NU to its third-straight team title ... All-America first team ... Big Ten Player of the Year ... Les Bolstad Award winner for lowest Big Ten stroke average (70.76) ... Won four-straight spring tournaments (the U.S. Collegiate, the Kepler Intercollegiate, the Fossum Intercollegiate and the Big Ten Championships) ... Broke NU record for lowest 54-hole total with a 202 at the U.S. Collegiate ... Ranked third in the nation by Golfweek.com ... Two-time Golf World National Golfer of the Week (4/14, 5/7) ... Rolex National Golfer of the Month (April) ... Big Ten Golf of the Week three times (4/11, 4/17 and 5/1) ... Played in all four fall events, finishing second on team with a 71.45 stroke average ... Best finish was fourth at Windon Memorial ... Low round was a 68 at The Ridges Intercollegiate ... Finished 11th at The Ridges, eighth at the Ping Preview and fifth at the The Prestige.

1999-2000:
Finished season the No.1 ranked golfer in the nation ... Played in four professional tournaments during the summer, (as an amateur) winning the Chicago Open by six shots ... Made the cut at the Memorial finishing in the top 50 ... Missed the cut at the British Open and Western Open ... Made it to the semifinals of the U.S Amateur defeating Sean Knapp, Andy Miller, David Patrick and Bryce Molder ... Won the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett CC in Rhode Island ... Finished seventh at 2000 NCAA Championship ... Tied for third at NCAA Central Regional with all three rounds under par ... Defeated teammate Jess Daley by one stroke to win 2000 Big Ten Championship ... Named Big Ten Golfer of the Year for the second year in a row ... Won the Big Ten's Les Bolstad (lowest season stroke average) for the second consecutive year ... Led team with 71.00 career stroke average ... Finished first in two of four events in 1999 fall season ... Won the Ping/Golfweek Preview by one stroke over teammate Jess Daley ... Took home title in Windon Memorial with a four-shot margin ... Finished first at San Juan Shoot-out in Puerto Rico winning by three strokes ... Finished season with four individuals wins, finished second twice, third twice, fifth once, sixth once and seventh once ... Has never finished out of top 20 in collegiate career.

Personal:
Son of Colin and Ann Donald ... Posted a second-place finish at the 1991 European Men's Amateur Championships with a seven-under-par 281 ... The European Championships was his fourth-straight top-10 finish of that summer ... Art theory and practice major.

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