Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy, two of the best European golf players
Golf is one of the most famous sports with millions of fans worldwide. Just like any other sport, golf has also produced some of the great players from different parts of the world.
The last two seasons saw a number of players stunning their opponents and making their names in the world of golf. Here two of the top-notch players from Europe, who have won the hearts of millions on the back of their brilliant performances in teh
past two years.
Luke Donald
The former world number one, Luke Donald started his career with College Prospects of America, progressing through their youth system. Hailing from England, Donald worked hard on his game at much early level.
His first victory came in 1999 when he clinched the title at NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, surpassing the score of former world number one, Tiger Woods.
Turning professional in 2001, Donald won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. The victory in the event helped him earn over $1 million.
The 35-year-old Englishman capped off the 2011 season in an impressive style. First off, he managed to retain his number one position by exhibiting remarkable performance.
Another thing that reflects Donald's growing strength is his victory in the 2011 Race to Dubai title, as well as the PGA Tour’s money title in the same season, making him the first player in the history of the game to achieve that feat.
The year 2011 witnessed him winning the World Golf Championship (WGC) - Accenture Match Play Championship at Wentworth, which took him to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career.
Sharing his thoughts about his amazing performance, Donald said he was confident right from the start. "It's something that I didn't think was possible," the Englishman said.
"I played extremely solid, consistent golf all year winning four times and playing right at the right moments. I think it is testament to my hard work and it's nice to see it paying off".
The very next season witnessed him losing the top spot to Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. He clinched back the spot at times, but McIlroy was always keen to become the new world number one, and so, the Northern Irishman took the lead by winning more
events in 2012.
Donald, who remained spectacular throughout the last two seasons, could not win a major. According to some, his profile devoid of any major victory overshadows his positive aspects.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy currently stands at the second position in the Official World Golf Rankings. Hailing from Northern Ireland, McIlroy is famous for his US Open victory in June 2011, and the PGA Championship in 2012. So far in his career, he has managed
to record six PGA Tour victories and took home five European Tour titles.
The 2011 season saw the 23-year-old star rise to prominence. His US Open victory helped him reach the 2nd position but he dropped to 3rd at the end of the season.
The very next season witnessed him stunning his opponents in five events collectively on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. The same season also saw him surging to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings.
At the end of the season, he matched Donald’s feat of winning the money list titles on both the PGA Tour, as well as on the European Tour.
He is now lauded as one of the most watched golf players in the world. Despite losing the world number one crown to Tiger Woods recently, he is believed to make a comeback soon and challenge the all time golf legend of the game.
Tags: